


The Demon's Target

by Mickey_Todoroki



Series: The Glitch, The Demon, and The Fallen Angel [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Antisepticeye Sean McLoughlin, Dark Sean McLoughlin, Darkiplier Mark Fischbach, Evil Mark Fischbach, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Injuries, Suicide, Suicide Notes, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23871382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mickey_Todoroki/pseuds/Mickey_Todoroki
Summary: After Amy breaks up with him after the shooting at the end of A Date With Markiplier, Mark moves on. He decides to raise the baby he found in the woods, later gaining an even bigger family. But, evil plans are enacted and Dark decides that they're too happy. As the family fights back, thoughts are created and people are hurt. Can they survive?
Relationships: Mark Fischbach & Original Character(s), Mark Fischbach & Sean McLoughlin, Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin
Series: The Glitch, The Demon, and The Fallen Angel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720372
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of the first story in a trilogy. I wrote the trilogy out of order. Whoops. Anyway, if you want to read the original, it's on Wattpad under the name Demon's Journey.

_ Amy was waving the gun between the two of us. I could see the conflict in her eyes.  _

_ Dark takes a step forward. “Believe me, he’s the fake one. It’s me, Amy.”  _

_ She aims the gun at me.  _

_ I take a step forward. “Amy, don’t believe him. I’m the real one.”  _

_ She aims the gun at Dark. _

_ “I know I’ve been busy,  _ _ Aejeong, but I’m trying to find more time for us.”  _

_ How does he know my special name for her?  _

_ She aims the gun back at me. Before I get a chance to respond, the gun goes off.  _

_ I looked down on my chest and saw blood soaking through my shirt. I collapse and fall to the ground, landing on my knees. I then fall backward on my back. I saw Amy drop the gun and leave with Dark. _

_ “Amy,” I croak, then my vision goes black. _

_ Then, I saw  _ _ Amy looked down. She leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. “I love you, don’t forget that.” She lets go of my hand and walks out of not only the hospital but my life as well. _

I sat up fast and started panting. I looked over to my right and saw the empty bed beside Chica. I sighed and rested my head in my hands. It’d been almost ten months since that happened. I looked back up and sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I grabbed my phone and made my way to the kitchen to brew myself a cup of coffee with Chica trailing behind me. While I waited for it to brew, I thought about my plan for today. I already had my videos done for today, so I didn’t have to record ‘till later.  _ Maybe I’ll take a hike. _

I grabbed a mug and poured my coffee as I sat at the counter.

_ Amy and I get out of the car as we head into the restaurant and wait to be seated. We talk and eat, just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. When we finish and pay for our food, we go to the restrooms and change into our more casual clothes. We leave the restaurant and head back to the car. _

I smashed my eyes closed and shook my head. I grabbed my coffee and took a big sip. I grabbed my phone and looked up trails in LA. The Eaton Canyon Falls looked nice. I finished off my coffee and placed the mug in the sink. I grabbed my phone and walked to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth. I went back to my room and changed into a pair of basketball shorts and my green dinosaur tank. I packed a small backpack with two water bottles and a sweat towel. I pocketed my phone and grabbed my keys. Chica followed behind me as I left the house and locked the front door, then got in the car and drove to the waterfall.

I turned off the car and Chica and I got out. I grabbed my bag from the passenger side seat and locked the car before we start our hike up the trail.

We finally made it to the waterfall. I looked around as I set my bag down on the ground. The water gracefully plunged the forty feet to the pool below. I sat on a rock a bit away from the fall while Chica plaid in the pool. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sound. It wasn’t that hard of a hike, but it was a little challenging. Other than the sound of the water and Chica, it was silent here. Luckily, it was one of those days where no one decided to go hiking. 

Suddenly, a baby’s shrill cry broke the silence. 

I stood up quickly while Chica looked around. I grabbed my bag and followed the sound of the cry. I finally found them hiding behind a tree in the woods surrounding the waterfall. The baby was just lying there in a onesie. I couldn’t tell how long they’d been here, but they were definitely put here today. Faint scratches and bruises lined their arms and legs.

I kneeled down and gently picked them up. They grabbed onto my finger and giggled. I smiled, then remembered where we were and I started quickly making my way to the car.

“Cmon, Chica!” I yelled. She followed me down the hill.

It took a bit, but we finally made it to the car. We hopped in and I buckled the baby to my chest. I drove the not-to-long drive to the nearest hospital, which was St. Vincent Medical Center. It was about a half-hour to get there.

I turned off the car and got out. I made sure my hold on the baby was secure before I locked the car and headed into the hospital. Thankfully it wasn’t too hot, so I could leave Chica in the car. I walked up to the receptionist and got her attention.

“Hello, can I see a doctor as quickly as possible? I found her,” I gestured to the baby, “out in the woods.”

“Could you please tell me your last name?” She asked.

“Fischbach,” I answered. “F-i-s-c-h-b-a-c-h,” I spelled out.

She wrote it down and I sat down. “Dr. Alexander to the lobby, please. I repeat, Dr. Alexander to the lobby,” she called over the speakers.

After a minute, a doctor walked over. “Are you Mr. Fishback?” he asked.

I lightly smiled. “Fischbach, but yes I am.” I stood up and followed the doc into a small room with a small bed built for a baby. I laid the baby down and stood beside them.

“So, you found them in the woods?” the doc asked.

I nodded. “I went on a hike this morning and found her near the waterfall. She was laying on the ground near a tree.”

The doc nodded his head as he wrote stuff down on his clipboard. “Well, I’d like to take some tests just to make sure she is fine. From what I can see, however, she seems to have been outside for about 5 hours. She’s lucky to be alive.” I nodded my head as the doctor picked up the baby and walked away.

I looked around the room and found a chair. I sat down and rested my arms on my knees. I rested my head in my hands and took a deep sigh. My calm and relaxing day turned into one of stress. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

“Sir, we are done with the tests.”

I opened my eyes and saw the doctor standing over me, clipboard in hand. I looked over and saw the baby laying on the table, fast asleep. I rubbed the drowsiness from my eyes and sat up straighter as I ran a hand through my hair. “What did you find?” I asked.

“Well, we ran a multitude of tests and found that she has signs of abuse and neglect. It’s sad to hear, considering she is just a week old.” 

I released a sad sigh. “Who would do that to a baby?”

“Well, we ran some bloodwork on her and we surprisingly have her records on file,” the doc told me.

I stood up and took a step closer to the doc and the baby. “Am I allowed to know or is it patient-doctor confidentiality?”

“You are the one who brought her in, so you are allowed to know. She was born in the hospital as Leni Ida. She was given no last name due to being put up for adoption here in the hospital. She was adopted by Lisa and Wally Franks and was never reported missing,” he explained.

“Have you contacted the police?” I asked.

“Yes, we have, and they are on their way. But in the blood tests, we found who her birth parents are. Do you know a Ms. Amy Nelson?”

My breath caught in my throat as my heart slowed. I swallowed when I noticed how dry my throat had become. 

_ Amy laughs at a joke I just said. Her angelic laugh fills the room while her pearl-white smile brightens it.  _

_ “I’m glad I found the time to get away from work. I love you,” I say. _

_ Her smile widens “I love you, too.” _

_ I fiddle with a small box in my suit pocket. I can’t wait. _

I swallowed again and cleared my throat. “Uhh, yeah, I know her. She’s my ex. Why?”

“She is Leni’s mother. And, I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but you are Leni’s father.”

My heart stopped as my eyes widened. I reached behind me for the chair and gently lowered myself down as I took in what I’d been told. “W-what?”

“Leni is your daughter. Her name is Leni Ida Fischbach.”

I released a shaky breath as the information finally kicked in. “I-I’m a dad?”

The doctor nodded. “Would you like to hold your daughter?”

After a second, I nodded. 

The doctor walked over to the table and picked up a sleeping Leni. He walked over to me and gently placed her in my arms, then showed me how to correctly hold her. He walked out of the room and left me with my daughter.

_ My daughter. _

A sentence I never thought I’d ever say.

Making sure that I had a good hold on her with one arm, I used the other to run my hand over her head. She slowly opened her eyes and the first thing that struck me was her chocolate brown eyes, almost exactly like mine. She smiled at me and lightly giggled, causing my heart to melt.

“Hi, Yeon-in, I’m your daddy.” I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I love you. I’m sorry you went through what you did, but I’ll never hurt you as they did.”

A knock on the door caused me to look up. A police officer was standing there with a notepad in his hand.

“Hello, I’m Officer Peterson. Are you Mr. Fishback?” the officer asked.

“Fischbach, but yes, that’s me. What can I do for you officer?” 

“I just need an account of how you found her.”

I nodded my head and told the officer how I found Leni.

“Ok, the Franks will be arrested for child abuse and neglect. Would you like to take legal guardianship of Leni?”

I looked up at him with wide eyes. “Wait, I can do that?” I asked.

He nodded. “Because Leni was born and given up without your knowledge you were not contacted. But, now that we know, you can take legal guardianship of her. You would just have to go to court and have CPS make sure your house is safe for a child.”

I nodded my head and adjusted my grip on Leni. “Y-yes. I would love to take guardianship.”

The officer took a step closer and clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a good man.” He walked out and I looked back down at Leni who was smiling at me. I smiled back at her and kissed her on the forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark decides to introduce Leni to his friends and tell them how he found her.

I was laying on the couch with Leni almost asleep on my chest and Chica asleep on the floor when my phone vibrated. I picked it up off the coffee table and saw that it was a text from Bob.

_ Hey, Jack, Wade, and I were planning on playing some Uno. Wanna join? _

I responded back,  _ sure. gave me a minute. _ I held Leni to my chest as I sat up, then eventually stood up. I pocketed my phone as I walked to the nursery with Chica following behind me.

It’d been about a month since I found Leni and I still hadn’t told anyone. I was planning on telling them when I finally adopted her. Or, well, regained custody of her. The trial was the next week. 

I laid Leni down in her crib and pulled her little blanket up to her chin. I grabbed her little teddy bear and set it down right next to her as I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. I stand back up and turn to her nightstand which holds the baby monitor. I turned it on and looked at Chica as I pointed to her dog bed beside the crib. She walked over and laid down, almost instantly falling asleep. I walked out of the room and into my recording room. I sat down in my chair and turned on Skype. I called Bob and before it connected, I turned on the baby monitor next to me on my desk. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” was the first thing I heard when Bob answered. I also heard a lot of laughing from Jack (or Seán) and Wade.

“What did I miss?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Jack said once he calmed down.

Wade set up a game of Uno for the four of us and we began playing it.

Halfway through the second game, I heard Leni start to cry. 

“Hey, Mark, what’s that?” Jack asked.

“Ummm, gave me a second. I’ll be right back.” I got up.

“But you’ll miss your turn!” Wade yelled. 

I ignored him and stood up, quickly making my way to Leni’s room. 

When I got there, she was standing up in her crib, her face red and tears streaking down her face. I walked over and picked her up, cuddling her to my chest. I gently rocked back and forth, which calmed her down. I decided to finally introduce her to my friends.

I walked back to my recording room and sat down in my chair.

“Hey, we finished the game and were waiting for you. What took you so long?” Wade asked.

“I had to go do something. But I want you guys to meet someone. Everyone, this is Leni. Say hi Leni.” I picked up her wrist and waved it back and forth saying “Hi,” In a baby voice. I put her wrist down. 

All three guys awwed at the sight of her.

“She’s adorable. But why do you have a baby? Are they Jason’s?” Wade asked.

“Actually, no. She’s mine. Well, she will be soon anyway.” 

They all looked confused.

“Wait, are you adopting her?” Jack asked.

“Ummm, not exactly. You guys remember Amy, right?” 

They all nodded. 

“Do you guys also remember my ‘Date With Markiplier’ video?” 

Again, they all nodded. 

“Well, that was recorded on Valentine’s Day, obviously. Amy and I decided to go on a date a couple of months later, considering we had been a little distant. We went out to dinner and I started feeling a little sick. I decided to ignore it, not wanting to ruin anything for her.” 

Jack shook his head. “Of course you fooking did, you selfless bastard.”

I covered Leni’s ears. “Hey, watch your language. There is a child present.”

Jack chuckled and rolled his eyes.

“He’s right, though,’ Bob added.

I mock glared at him and everyone started laughing.

“Anyway,” I continued once everyone calmed down, “we went to a movie after dinner. Throughout the movie, I felt so bad, I almost puked. We left the theater and were walking down the ‘alley’ next to the theater when I was tackled. I knocked them off me and when I stood up, I noticed it was Dark.”

“Wait, he’s real?” Wade asked.

I nodded. “I’ll tell you how in a minute.

“How did you know it was him?” Bob seemed genuinely curious.

“Well, when he looked at me, the whites of his eyes were pitch black and his iris’ were blood red. When he charged at me, he was holding a gun, but when I threw him off, it flew out of his hand. Amy got a hold of the gun and I noticed that when we both turned to look at her, his eyes turned white and brown, exactly like mine.” 

All of their eyes showed concern.

“Why do I have a feeling this didn’t end well?” Bob asked.

“That’s because it didn’t. Dark convinced her it was me and,” I took a deep breath. It was hard to continue. 

The guys noticed.

“It’s ok, take all the time you need,” Jack said.

I nodded. “She believed him and she shot me. In the heart.” My hand unconsciously hovered over my heart before I rested my hand back down next to my side. “She believed she chose the right one and left with him. By the time she realized she was wrong and came back, I was half dead. By the time I got to the hospital, I was hanging on by a thread. I lived, thankfully, but I was officially dead for two minutes. The bullet was still in my heart, so I had heart surgery. 

“After that, Amy and I talked. I told her that she shouldn’t have to deal with my shit, and that if she wanted to, she could walk out and leave me, and that I’d understand. And she did. She walked out of my hospital room and out of my life. I haven’t seen her since. But, I understand. Nobody should have to deal with our demons. Nobody,” I muttered that last part to myself as I looked down at Leni. I could feel tears start to gather in the corner of my eyes. 

She looked up at me, her smile showing her obliviousness to the story I just told.

I leaned forward and gave the top of her head a light kiss, causing her to giggle. God, I live to hear her giggle and see her smile.

“So, wait, how is Dark real?” Wade asked.

“Wade! You ruined the moment! Jack criticized.

I couldn’t blame him for asking. He was very curious and I knew the other two were also. “It’s ok. You guys deserve to know. Apparently, I was born with him. Mom and Jason know about him, and now so do you guys. He was never a bother; hell, we used to be friends. Until  _ that _ day. He changed a lot and started hating me. Bothered me whenever he could. But now that I have Leni, he’s been quiet. I don’t know why.”

“Wait, how did you end up with Leni in the first place?” Jack asked.

“Well, I was bored, considering I had all my videos already recorded and edited for that day and I had a lot of time to kill, so I decided to go on a hike to a waterfall. Up at the waterfall, there’s this big open area where the waterfall makes a sort of pool with woods surrounding it. I was just sitting there when I heard a noise. I went looking and found Leni laying on the ground behind a tree. She had bruises and cuts all over her.”

“Awww, poor thing,” Bob said.

“I brought her to the hospital and they ran some tests. She had signs of abuse and neglect.”

“Who would do that to their own child, let alone a baby?” Wade asked, his eyebrows scrunched together in anger.

“Oh, it wasn’t her parents that did that. She was given up at birth and the adoptive parents did it. They found out who her birth parents are.”

“Who are they? Did they tell you?” Jack asked.

“They did. And her mom is Amy,” I said.

It was silent for a minute as they took in what I said.

“Wait, does that mean…” Bob started.

“I’m her dad,” I finished, starting to tear up again.

Bob gasped, Wade smiled, and Jack’s eyes widened before he smiled, too.

“Because she was born and given up without my knowledge, I was allowed to regain custody of her. I just had to have CPS check up on me every week to make sure it was safe for her. The trial is next week.”

“Well, I’ll be there,” Bob stated out of the blue.

“What?” I asked.

“Me, too,” Wade added.

“Count me in,” Jack finished.

“Wait, hold on, you guys don’t need to come. You’ve got your own lives and I couldn’t ask that of you,” I said. They  _ really _ didn’t need to come. But It was a nice gesture.

“Mark, this is a big day for you. No way are we gonna miss it. Now suck it up and let us come,” Jack stated.

I knew for sure that he’d come even if I said no. Plus, I wanted him to come. Badly. see, I liked him. Not as a friend, but more. But, he was all the way in Ireland and straight as a ruler. There was absolutely no way in hell he liked me back, so I never told him. Sure, it kinda made me unhappy, but I’d rather be unhappy than have no friendship at all with him. It just wasn’t a risk I was willing to take unless pushed to absolute measures.

I looked down at Leni. “What do you think, huh? Should we let them come?” 

She seemed to think before saying some senseless baby babble and smiling widely.

“Jury seems to say yes. You guys can come,” I told them.

“Yes!” they all cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure on the schedule for this yet, but I'll try and get one up at least every other day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is granted guardianship over Leni and in celebration, he throws a party. Things are going great when the group is visited by an unexpected, and UNWANTED guest.

“I hereby declare Mark Edward Fischbach, the father and legal guardian of Leni Ida Fischbach.” The judge slammed the gavel down on the podium and everyone started to file out of the courtroom. 

When I walked out of the courtroom, I saw Bob, Wade, Tyler, Ethan, Jack, my mom, and Jason standing around and talking. Tyler and Ethan decided to come after I explained to them what was going on. 

Bob saw me and smiled. “Say hi to the new daddy.”

Wade scrunched his nose. “That came out wrong.”

“Shut up, Wade,” Bob said.

I finally made my way over and my mom immediately started fussing over Leni. I handed her over and went to talk to the guys.

Jack clapped me on the shoulder and smiled. “Congrats man.”

“Thanks. I can’t wait to bring her back home. I mean, I know she’s been there for a month already, but I mean permanently.”

My mom walked over and handed Leni over. 

I looked around and saw Jack looking at her with admiration in his eyes.

“Do you want to hold her?” I asked Jack. 

His eyes lit up and he smiled. “Really?”

I nodded my head and he walked over. He held his arms out and I handed Leni over. I showed him how to hold her and I could tell he instantly fell in love.

“Hi, Leni. I’m your Uncle Jack. I’m gonna spoil you so much, your dad will get sick of it,” Jack said.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second,” I said, causing everyone to chuckle. 

Jack tickled Leni’s stomach and she laughed loudly, causing all of us to laugh along with her. 

I shifted the bag hanging off my right shoulder that I nearly forgot was there. It held diapers, bottles, wipes, and other things people usually put in a diaper bag for a baby.

Suddenly, Leni started to cry and reach towards me.

Jack looked panicked and looked at me. 

“Hold on a second.” I reached into the bag hanging off my shoulder and grabbed a bottle of ready-to-feed formula. With the bottle in hand, I scooped Leni out of Jack’s arms and fed her the bottle. She immediately stopped crying and focused on the delicious milk. 

“Man, how did you know what she wanted?” Wade asked.

“Well, she cries like that every time she’s hungry. After a month, I’ve picked up the meaning of all her cries.” 

Halfway through drinking her milk, Leni started getting a little fussy, so I knew that I needed to burp her after she finished.

Once Leni finished her milk, I looked up at Jack as I took the bag off my shoulder and held it out to him. “Could you please grab the towel?” I asked.

He nodded and took the bag from me. He opened it up and reached in and took out the towel, then set the bag down and handed me the towel.

I grabbed it and threw it over my left shoulder. I adjusted Leni so she was leaning over my shoulder and I gently patted her back, which caused her to burp and spit up a little. I adjusted her so I was cradling her once more and grabbed the towel off my shoulder to wipe her mouth. I bent down and stuffed the towel back into the bag and stood back up with the bag in hand. I threw it over my shoulder and looked at everyone.

“You guys wanna come back to my place? We could chill and just hang out,” I asked.

Everyone but Jack said yes.

“I wish I could but my plane leaves in an hour and a half and I still have to pack,” he told us.

“Oh, well in that case,” I started. I handed Leni to my mom and walk towards him. I leaned forward and gave him a hug, which prompted him to hug back. We let go of each other and we were both smiling.

“Thanks for coming. I’m glad you were here,” I said.

“I’m glad I came. I’ll see you soon. I’ve got a metaphorical niece to spoil after all,” Jack stated, his smile taking up his whole face. 

“Yes you do,” I told him. 

He went around and hugged everyone while my mom handed Leni back to me.

Finally, Jack came back up to Leni and me. He leaned forward and gave Leni a small peck on the forehead, before tickling her tiny tummy and ruffling what little hair she had on her head. He stood back up and smiled. 

“I’ll see you guys soon. Bye!” Jack yelled. We all yelled bye as he disappeared.

I turned to everyone and smiled. “Well then, back to my place we go!”

As of then, my mom, Jason, and Tyler were sitting on the three-person couch, Ethan and Bob were sitting in the two armchairs I had, and Wade and I were sitting on the floor under the tv and in front of the fireplace. There were snacks and drinks spread out on paper plates across the coffee table. Leni was sitting in my mom’s lap while Chica was laying on the floor beside me, resting her head on my lap. 

Everyone had just arrived and we were laughing and joking around when Leni started fussing, very close to crying. 

“Aww, it looks like my baby girl is hungry.” I gently pushed Chica’s head off my lap as I moved to stand up. I quickly made my way upstairs and to the nursery to grab Leni’s pacifier from her crib, then walked back down to the living room. I leaned down in front of Leni and gently placed it in her mouth, which immediately quieted her down. I then headed to the kitchen and started the process of making Leni a bottle of milk.

First, I grabbed a small pot and put it under the sink faucet. I turned on the faucet and filled the pot about a third of the way. After turning off the faucet, I set the pot on the stove and turned it on high so it started boiling. Once it started boiling, I turned off the stove and let the water cool until it was room temperature. I grabbed a funnel I used only for this purpose and put in a bottle I grabbed from one of the many cupboards in my kitchen. I poured the water into the bottle and grabbed the baby formula from the pantry and set it on the counter. I grabbed the measuring cup that was already in the tin of formula and used it to scoop about half a cup of formula and poured it into the bottle after I took the funnel out. I put the lid of the bottle on and shook it up to mix it. I then squirted a little bit on my wrist to make sure it wasn’t too hot, which it wasn’t.

I walked over to my mom and picked Leni up, then took out her pacifier. I set it on the coffee table and gave her her bottle which she almost immediately started chugging down. 

Once she finished, I set down the bottle and returned her pacifier to her mouth after she yawned. I walked upstairs to the nursery and laid her down in her crib. I brought her blanket up to her chin and leaned forward, giving her a quick peck on the forehead, then ruffled her hair. She instantly fell asleep and I turned to the door and whistled. Chica came bounding into the room and looked back up at me. I pointed to the dog bed in the corner of the room. Chica almost seemed to nod and walked over to the bed, then she laid down and almost instantly fell asleep. I made sure that the baby monitor in the room was turned on before I left. 

I walked out of the room and back downstairs to the living room. I joined Wade on the floor, then reached for the baby monitor I always kept on the coffee table. I turned it on and put it back. I sat back and joined in on the conversation the others were having. 

After maybe half an hour, there was a knock on the door. My mom went to answer it, but I told her I’d get it. I stood up and answered it, and who was standing there shocked me.

“Jack?” I asked. That question gets everyone’s attention. “What’re you doing here? Didn’t your plane leave about an hour ago?”

“Well, it was supposed to, except for the fact that somebody canceled my ticket,” he explained. 

I thought I heard a quiet chuckle or two behind me. I turned around and found everyone silently watching me, though Bob and Wade looked like they were trying hard to contain a smile. 

I turned back around to face Jack. “Well, did you get a refund?” 

“Thankfully yes. I would’ve been pissed if I hadn’t. Anyway, you said everyone was coming over, so I decided that there’s nothing better to do than come over and hang out,” he said, a smile covering his face. 

I took a step back and opened the door fully, giving him enough space to walk in. “Well, come in. Didn’t mean to keep ya on the porch.” 

He walked in right as I heard Leni cry through the baby monitor. I looked back at Jack and he just gestured up to the stairs.

“Go on, go see what she wants.” I nodded and left the door for him to get as I quickly made my way up the stairs. Before I got there, Chica started barking like crazy. It was the kind of bark I trained her to use in an emergency. I started jumping the stairs three at a time as I started freaking out.

_ What’s wrong? _

_ What happened? _

_ I hope Chica and Leni are ok. _

I finally got to the room and threw open the door. I didn’t hear the door hit the wall or the many pairs of feet running up the stairs, or even the gasps of shock behind me. No, I was too focused on what was in front of me. 

_ Somebody was standing in front of Leni’s crib. _

Chica was standing behind the intruder, viciously growling and barking. She’d never done that before. Ever. But I was glad she was doing it. 

“Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?” I growled through gritted teeth, trying to keep my anger in check as it coursed through my veins. 

“I’m doing absolutely nothing to  _ our _ daughter. It is very rude to keep a girl from her father, don’t you think?” The figure turned around and my eyes widened.

_ No, it couldn’t be... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long. I'll try and upload more frequently.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a certain someone shows up, Mark and Leni suffer the consequences. They are both injured and Mark nearly goes into a coma. Also, apparently Jack is the baby whisperer.

“Correct you are, my friend.”

“Why, are you here?” I asked through gritted teeth. I saw Chica edge her way to the door behind me. There was no way Dark missed her, but he must not’ve thought she was a threat.

“I thought you disappeared when Amy left after she shot me.” I honestly thought he did. He’d made no contact with me at all since I left the hospital.

“Poor, naïve Mark. Did you  _ really _ think you could get rid of me  _ that _ easily, did you?” He asked, a clear mocking tone in his echoey voice. 

“What do you want?” I asked, ignoring his question. 

“I just wanted to meet my daughter.”

His smooth voice was driving me over the edge. “Your intentions are only to hurt, maybe even kill her! You don’t even get to be  _ considered _ her father!”

All Dark did was move so he was standing next to the corner of Leni’s crib. He smirked, then disappeared. Leni was left floating in mid-air. 

Gravity caught up and Leni started to fall. I dove forward to catch her, but not before she smacked her head against the corner of the crib. I caught her and immediately rushed her to the bathroom. 

“Mark?” I heard behind me. I turned around and saw everyone standing in the doorway. 

“Can you get the first aid kit from the hallway closet?” I asked my mom. She nodded and went to get it. I grabbed a towel and used it to dab away the blood from her cut. She wouldn’t stop crying. 

Mom finally walked in and handed the first aid kit to me. I quickly opened it up and sprayed a little hydrogen peroxide onto a small towel and used it to clean her cut. She started crying a little bit more until I put a little bandaid on and gently kissed her on the forehead. I cuddle her to my chest and gently shoosh her until she stops crying. I stood up and walked out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and into the living room. I sat on the couch and leaned back. I ran a hand through my hair as I felt a couple of tears make their way down my face. My mom and brother sat on either side of me as everyone else situated themselves in the various spots to sit in the living room. 

I closed my eyes as my mom ran her fingers through my hair to try and calm me down as I snuggled Leni as physically close to my chest as I could. I tried, I really did, knowing I had to be strong for Leni, but it was hard.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry, Yeon-in.” 

“Mark, it’s not your fault. There’s nothing you could’ve done,” my mom tried reassuring me.

“Yeah, he’s part of you. He would’ve come no matter what,” Jason added. 

I opened my eyes and looked at him. “But that’s exactly what  _ makes _ it my fault. He’s  _ part _ of me. I should be able to control him more, or at the very least keep him away.”

It was silent for about two minutes before Bob spoke up. 

“Is that him? Dark?” He asked.

I nodded my head and closed my eyes as I leaned back against the back of the couch. I adjusted Leni so she was laying against my chest. My senses started to dim until I lost hold on consciousness and I fell asleep.

I woke up and the first thing I noticed was that Leni was gone. I sat up quickly, noting that I was laying on the couch, and started to stand up, only to be held back by two people grabbing my wrists from behind. I turned around and saw Tyler and Wade holding onto my wrists. I tried to pull myself free, but their grips were too strong.

“Let me go,” I growled.

“No, you need to calm down,” Tyler pressed, his voice soft but firm.

I started struggling more and they held on tighter. “Let me go. Let me  _ go _ !” I barked.

“Mark!” I turned around to look in front of me. Jack was kneeling on the floor in front of me, Leni safely tucked in his arms, fast asleep. I immediately stopped struggling and relaxed, allowing Wade and Tyler to let go of my arms. Jack tenderly placed Leni in my arms and I leaned back against the couch once more. 

“I’m sorry that I freaked out on you guys. I just got so scared after what happened earlier.” 

Jack rested his hand on my arm. “It’s ok. You were scared for your daughter’s safety. I know I would be too if I went to sleep and she disappeared.  _ Especially _ after the incident with Dark.” 

I nodded my head and sat back up. I looked around and saw everyone sitting around, staring at me. 

“Sorry to break the silence, but this is too awkward, even for me,” a deep, smooth, echoey voice said behind the couch. 

I turned around and saw Dark standing there, the space behind him dark with a blue and red aura surrounding him. I immediately jumped outta my seat and held Leni closer to my chest. 

“What do you want?” I asked. 

He grinned, his eyes reflecting his malicious intent. “Only to torture you. To drive you to the point of insanity ‘till you descend into madness.” He took a step forward as I took a step back. 

Jack, Bob, Tyler, Wade, and Ethan stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Dark.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my chest. 

The wind was knocked out of me and I gasped for breath. I handed Leni to my mom, who was standing off to the side with my brother, and I looked at my chest, which I put pressure on as the pain intensified. I looked at my hand and saw blood seeping through my fingers and I fell to my knees as my vision went blurry. I could faintly see Jack turn around and kneel in front of me, and because of the gap between Bob and Wade, I could see Dark’s sneer. I could faintly hear Leni crying and Jack saying something, but I couldn’t make it out and my eyelids grew heavy until I blacked out.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. The first thing I noticed was that I was in my room. I moved to sit up, but cringed in pain and laid back down. I heard the rustle of sheets and I looked around once more. I noticed Leni’s crib in the corner of the room.

I looked towards the door and saw Jack sitting in a chair next to my bed, asleep with his head on the bed and holding my hand. I smiled and rubbed circles on the back of his hand. He sat up and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around and then his eyes landed on me.

“Mark, you’re awake. Are you ok?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth. “Fine and dandy. What happened?”

“Well, let’s get you downstairs first, so we can all explain it to you,” Jack said. He leaned out the doorway and yelled out Tyler’s name. Tyler entered the room and both him and Jack walked towards the bed. Jack grabbed my right arm with his right hand and put his left hand under my back and he gently helped me sit up. Tyler grabbed my other arm and they both pulled me to my feet. 

“Guys, I’m fine. You don’t-” I would’ve collapsed had Tyler and Jack not held onto me. 

“I’m sorry. What don’t you need?” Jack teased. 

“Just shut up and help me downstairs,” I said. Both Tyler and Jack laughed as they practically dragged me down the stairs. They sat me down on the couch before Jack ran back upstairs. He then came back downstairs with Leni in his arms before he handed her to me. 

“Why are you the only one who ever holds Leni?” I asked Jack. 

“Because, for whatever reason, he’s the only one  _ allowed _ to,” Ethan stated.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“When you collapsed, Leni wouldn’t stop crying. We all tried and nothing could get her to stop. Not even mom could quiet her down. But as soon as Jack held her, man, she immediately stopped crying. She even giggled,” Jason explained.

“That’s amazing,” I said. I looked down at Leni and lightly bounced her, which got her to start giggling. I finally looked up and noticed everyone looking at me. “Ok, what happened?” 

“Well. we thought you had gone into a coma. You were asleep since midnight last night, and it’s almost 3 in the afternoon,” Wade started. 

“Man, that’s the most sleep I’ve got,” I think, ”ever.” 

“Mark, this is serious!” Tyler reprimanded.

“Right, sorry,” I apologized.

“Anyway, you were suffering from a bullet wound and Schneep had to perform heart surgery with the tools you had here. He almost lost you,  _ twice _ ,” Jack explained, tears building in the corners of his eyes. 

“What do you mean I was suffering from a bullet wound? I wasn’t shot. I also already had heart surgery.” 

Jack took a deep breath. “You know who Doctor Schneeplestein is, right?” I nodded. “He told me that regular doctors can’t heal side-induced injuries.”

“But, no offense to her, Amy’s the one who shot me.”

“And that’s the only reason the surgery lasted as long as it did. It might’ve lasted longer, had Dark not been around. Only side-doctors can heal side-induced injuries. Schneep had to perform heart surgery on you a second time to make sure that you didn’t die. It was risky, but it was the only way to keep you alive.” __

I sighed. My body had gone through so much trauma over the years because of Dark. All the hospital trips. 

It was silent as everyone took in the information. 

“Wait, if both Schneep and Dark are real, does that mean all the others are real? Wilford and Anti?” Bob asked.

I looked at Jack, then back to the group. “Yeah, they’re all real. I was born with both Dark and Wil, but the others formed and grew as I got older. King was created when I was about 3 or 4, cause that was when I started playing outside. The Host was created when I started to love reading, Doc was created when I was thinking of what I wanted to be when I grew up and thought of being a doctor, etc.,” I explained.

“Same with me,” Jack added. “I was born with Anti and Schneep, and the others came later.”

Silence took over once again as everyone thought. 

“Everyone, dinner’s ready!” My mom called from the kitchen. I didn’t even notice she wasn’t in the living room. Oops. Everyone walked into the kitchen to get a bowl, leaving Leni and me in the living room. 

Everyone came back into the living room with a bowl of food. Jack had two in his hand, along with a bottle tucked under his chin. Jack handed a bowl and the bottle to me. The bowl was filled with Chicken and Dumplings, which was the best meal of all time. I slowly leaned forward and placed my bowl on the coffee table, before leaning back and giving the bottle to Leni. She excitedly started drinking the milk. Once she finished, I set the bottle on the couch and handed Leni to Jack, who had already finished his Chicken and Dumplings. I grabbed my own bowl and began eating my dinner.

I finished and set my bowl down on the coffee table. Jack then handed me Leni and I snuggled her to my chest. 

Mom walked up to me and ruffled my hair before kissing my forehead. 

“Thanks, Mom. I love you,” I told her.

“I love you, too,” Mom said.

After eating everyone fell into a peaceful conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark, Jack, Bob, Wade, and Leni all decide to go to the mall to get Leni some toys. However, Mark gets distracted when Jack seems different. Sad, even. Determined to figure out what's wrong, he asks. Jack doesn't tell him, but when they go home, Jack finally breaks.

It’d been a month since the incident and my official  _ adoption _ of Leni and Wade, Bob, and Jack are here to hang out. Wade and Bob decided that all of us should go shopping for more stuff for Leni. Even though I’d had her for two months, I decided to go along with it. 

I parked the car and we all got out. After Bob got out of the back seat along with Wade, I climbed back there and unbuckled Leni from her car seat. I hugged her to my chest as I crawled out of the back seat and shut the door behind me. Making sure my hold on Leni was secure, the five of us made our way into the mall. Wade and Bob stopped us and turned to look at Jack and me, seeing as how they were walking ahead of us. 

“Hey, Wade and I were planning on taking Leni to a certain toy store and were wondering if you would mind just looking around. Just the two of you,” Bob asked.

I looked at Jack with a confused glance, only to find him looking at me with the same look. I looked at Bob and handed Leni over to his waiting arms. 

“Umm, sure, I guess. Just be careful. It’s not that I don’t trust you guys, it’s just, you know,” I trailed off, knowing they knew why.

“We get it, and we’ll be careful. see you guys later!” Wade yelled back as he and Bob rushed off in some direction. We immediately lost them in the crowd.

“Man, that was weird. Do you what their deal was?” I asked Jack. When I didn’t hear a response, I turned to look at him. 

His eyes were downcast, staring at his feet. He was walking at a slower pace than his usual bouncy one, and his hands were shoved deep in his jean pockets. He was also slightly hunched over. Something was definitely up.

“Hey, are you ok?” I asked, very concerned. 

He looked up and an obviously fake smile took over his previously troubled one. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” He looked back down.

I turned fully to face him and placed my hands on his shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. “Ok, cut the bullshit. What’s  _ really _ wrong with you? I won’t push you if you don’t want to tell me, but I don’t want you to lie to me.”

He kept his head down, but I heard him take a deep breath and shakily release it. “I-I don’t know. I want to tell you, I  _ really _ do, but I’m scared,” he said. 

“Scared of what?” I asked.

“Scared that you’ll hate me,” he replied.

My heart ached to see him feel like this. All I wanted to do was hold him close and gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead, but I shoved those feelings aside. There was no way in hell that Jack would ever reciprocate those feelings and I didn’t need to add to whatever fear and stress he’s feeling.

“Jack, I would never hate you. Trust me. Whatever it is, I won’t judge,” I explained.

He went to open his mouth but was interrupted by Bob, Wade, and Leni showing up. His demeanor completely changed. He stood up straight, took his hands out of his pockets, and plastered on a fake smile so good, you would only know it’s fake if you looked with a microscope. I almost believed it, and I had just seen how far he was from that not even a minute ago.

“Hey guys, did you find anything?” He asked.

“Nah. Leni didn’t seem to like any of the toys we saw. Did you guys look around at all?”

I finally tore my eyes away from Jack and looked at the other three. “Umm, no. We didn’t get a chance. We were just chatting,” I told them.

“Oh, ok. Well, do you guys wanna get something to eat?” Bob asked. 

“Yeah, that sounds great!” Jack said, his true feelings expertly hidden behind the falseness of his smile. 

The five of us walked around until we found a small restaurant to eat at. Wade was holding Leni as we sat down in the courtyard area with all the tables. 

“What do you guys want? I’m gonna go up and order,” Wade asked. 

“I’ll take a hamburger with everything on it,” I told him. 

“I’ll take the same thing,” Jack added.

“And I’ll have the same with no pickles or onion,” Bob finished.

Wade nodded and stood up. He adjusted his hold on Leni before heading to the restaurant to order. 

“Hey, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. I’ll be back soon,” Bob said, before getting up and going to the bathroom. 

As soon as both Bob and Wade were out of hearing range, I turned to Jack, who looked the same as earlier. Slouched, eyes downcast, hands crossed across his chest.

“Jack, you were about to tell me something earlier. Do you still want to tell me?” I asked.

He was silent and still for a couple of seconds before he decided to respond. “I-I still don’t know. I know you said you wouldn’t be mad at me, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not still scared.”

I nodded my head. “I get it. I do. I wish you would tell me, but I understand. When, and if, you ever feel comfortable enough to tell me, I will listen. No judgment, no anger, nothing but open-mindedness,” I told him.

He nodded his head and looked up at me. “Well-”

“Here’s our food,” Wade said as he, Leni, and Bob came back with our food, cutting off whatever Jack was about to say. Again.

Jack instantly put up his facade once more as the other three sat down.

Wade handed me Leni and we all began digging in. 

After finishing our meal, we all decided to look around a bit more. And after looking through a few more kids’ stores and getting Leni a stuffed bunny and a small stuffed dinosaur, we decided to head back home. 

We all headed out to the car. Jack got in the shotgun seat while Bob got in on the far side of the passenger seat in the back. seeing as how Leni’s seat was in the middle and Wade was also sitting back there, I handed Leni to Wade and got into the driver’s seat. I waited about a minute before Wade told me everyone was ready. I nodded and started the car before starting the drive back to my place.

Everyone unbuckled and got out once we pulled into my driveway. Wade unbuckled Leni and brought her in after I unlocked the door. Chica came rushing up to me and nearly knocked me over.

“Hey, girl. Glad to see you, too,” I replied as I laughed. Everyone else joined in on the laughter as Chica went around giving everyone kisses. When she finally got to Jack, she stopped and sat down. She immediately started whining, almost as if she could sense his anguish

A panicked look crossed Jack’s face before he collected himself and ruffled Chica’s fur.

“I-I’ll be upstairs,” he said, then he practically bolted up the stairs into Leni’s nursery. 

I looked back at Bob and Wade, who was still holding Leni. Bob gestured up to the stairs and I nodded. I looked back at the stairs and ran up them, two at a time. I walked up to Leni’s door and lightly knocked on it.

“Jack?” I asked. Hearing no response, I slowly opened the door and peered inside.

Jack was sitting on the floor, leaning against Leni’s crib. He curled up in a ball with his head laying on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. 

“Jack?” I asked again. He looked up and his face broke my heart.

His eyes were puffy and red and tears were visibly running down his cheeks. Once he saw me, he hurriedly rubbed away the tears from his eyes. 

“I-i'm sahrry. I dedn't mean to freak ooeht ahn you. I-i joehst cooehldn't- ” he was cut off by tears trailing down his face. His accent had become noticeably thick. It probably happens when he starts crying.

Chica came running into the room but slowed down once she saw Jack. She slowly walked up to him and sat down on his right. I decided to follow her lead and sat down on his left. He looked over at me.

“ Mark, I dahn't know 'ow to say dis, so I'm joehst gahnna comb ooeht and say it.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “I like you, Mark. Not like best friends. I mean, I love you, Mark.” He slowly looked back down. “I love you,” he whispered.

Before my brain had time to kick in, I grabbed his chin and smashed my lips against his. His lips were so soft and they tasted like cookies and cake.  _ Of  _ course _ , they did. _

I pulled back and ended the kiss once the need for oxygen came into play. Stupid need to breathe. 

Once we both caught our breath, Jack grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me once more.

Again, our need for oxygen kicked in, causing us to separate and we both leaned against the crib behind us. 

“You know,” I started, “I was nervous to tell you I liked you as well. Thing was, though, I almost refused to tell you because I was almost 100% that you were straight and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship,” I confessed.

He shook his head and smiled. “Nope. I’m as straight as a dick,” he said.

It took a second, but when the joke finally kicked in, I couldn’t stop giggling. Jack joined in and Chica started happily barking. 

Once we all calmed down, I stood up and held out my hand for Jack, who appreciatively took it. I pulled him up and he almost fell on top of me. I steadied him and gave him one more peck on the lips before walking out of the room. I suddenly heard footsteps running behind me before something was suddenly thrown on me. I held Jack’s legs as he wrapped them around my torso. I turned my head and saw Jack resting his head on my shoulder. I moved him up higher on my waist and started walking downstairs with Chica trotting down ahead of us. 

The first thing I saw was Bob and Wade huddled in a corner facing away from the stairs, talking. I noticed Leni was laying on the floor playing with Chica. I turned back to Wade and Bob and Jack and I listened in on what they were saying. 

“$10 says they get together by the end of the day,” Bob said.

“$10 says they get together tomorrow,” Wade contradicted.

I looked at Jack and we both smirked, knowing they were both talking about us. “$20 we’re already together,” I announced. 

“Aww, dammit, that’s not fair,” Wade complained as him and Bob turned around to face Jack and me. 

Jack hopped off my back and walked over to Leni. He bent down and picked her up, causing her to squeal and start laughing. He set her down on the couch and started tickling her and playing around with her.

I turned back to Bob and Wade.

“How was it?” Bob asked.

I thought back to it. “It was fucking amazing. It was a long-time dream come true,” I admitted. 

“That’s great. Listen, man, we gotta go, but we’ll talk to ya later,” Wade said.

I nodded my head. “Alright, see ya guys later.” 

They turned to walk out, but not before saying bye to Jack. Once they left, I turned back to Jack. I walked over and joined him in playing with Chica and Leni. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flash to 14 years later! The family is happy, even has a few new additions. However, just as things seem to be a bit TOO good, things change.

It’d been about 14 years since Jack and I got together. And guess what? Jack and I got married about 7 years ago! Leni turned 14 about a week ago and she looked so much like Amy it hurts. She was almost a spitting image of her with my brown hair and eyes.

Thankfully, there’d been no sign of Dark during those 14 years. Well, except for one instance, but I refused to talk about it. Granted, no one but me knew about it. 

Anyway, Bob and Wade got married (not to each other) and we were still close to one another. 

Oh, yeah. Jack and I also adopted a little boy named Flynn about a year ago, and he was 2 by then. He's the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen. Even though he wasn’t Jack’s biological son, he looks just like him. 

I realized I’d been in bed thinking about stuff for the past half hour, causing me to finally sit up in bed. I looked to my left and saw Jack still fast asleep with our 3-year-old pups Sam, a German Shephard, and Tim, a Bernese Mountain Dog, asleep at both our feet. We got them for Leni’s 11th birthday after Chica died a year before. I still miss her.

I leaned over to Jack and gave him a peck on the cheek before getting out of bed and heading downstairs to start making pancakes.

Once I finished the pancakes, I went upstairs to Leni’s room and knocked on the door before opening it.

“Come on Yeon-in, time to get up.” 

She didn’t even move. 

I smiled knowing she was awake. “Oh well, I guess I have to eat the pancakes I made all by myself.” 

She shot out of bed and sprinted down the stairs. 

I laughed as I walked out of Leni’s room and into Flynn’s. I walked up to his crib, Leni’s old crib, and picked him up, hugging him tightly to my chest. I turned around and walked downstairs and placed Flynn in his highchair before heading into the kitchen.

Leni was waiting patiently on one of the stools. “Where are the pancakes?” She asked.

“I’m gonna go upstairs and wake up your Pops before we start eating,” I told her. 

She nodded her head and headed back upstairs, probably to get her phone.

I headed upstairs and into Jack and my room. Jack was  _ still _ asleep despite the sunshine flowing through the blinds. I walked over and crawled onto the bed and on top of his back, seeing as he was sleeping on his stomach. 

He groaned and attempted to throw me off, failing miserably. Most likely cause I was almost 30 pounds heavier than him. I positioned myself so I could hold myself up so he could turn over. 

“Mahrnin, Macree (my heart),” he said, his Irish accent sexily thick because he was still tired.

“Morning, 아기 (babe),” I responded. I leaned down and gently yet passionately kissed him. I moved my left arm to hold my weight as I use my right hand to cup his cheek as he lazily drapes his arms around my neck. I slowly lowered myself on top of him as the kiss deepened.

We were,  _ sadly _ , interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“I don’t know what you’re doing in there,  _ and I don’t think I  _ want _ to know what you’re doing in there _ , but I’m hungry, so get your butts downstairs so I can eat,” Leni yelled through the door, though she mumbled the middle part. 

Jack and I chuckled as we heard her footsteps retreat down the stairs. I moved so that I was now sitting on his thighs. I ran my fingers through my hair as Jack sat up and pecked my forehead. I finally got off him and he just held his arms up to me.

“What, you want me to carry you downstairs?” I asked. He just nodded his head as I walked back up to him. I picked him up bridal style and carried him to the door. I stopped when I realized I wouldn’t be able to open it. When I looked down at him expectantly, he just looked up at me with an innocent face saying ‘I have no idea why you’re looking at me like that’.

“Hey, I can’t do all the work here,” I told him. He smiled and opened the door and I carried him down the stairs and to the kitchen. I set him down on a stool and headed to the stove to get the pancakes.

“Pops, why did Dad carry you down the stairs?” Leni asked.

“Because your Pops is a big, bubble blowin’ baby,” I teased.

“I’m not a mirror, thank you very much,” Jack retaliated.

“Burn!” Leni yelled, causing Flynn to loudly giggle.

I got four plates and set them out for the four of us. I grabbed the pan and separated the pancakes onto three of the plates, one for Leni and Jack and two for me. I put the pan in the sink, grabbed the syrup and gave it to the other two, grabbed three cups and poured milk into all of them, then handed them out. I then got a banana and split it in half, placing one half on the counter beside my plate and cutting the other half into slices. I put them on Flynn’s plate and poured some milk into a sippy cup for him, which he started chugging. 

I sat down beside my family and dug into the delicious meal.

“Thanks, Dad,” Leni said.

“Yeah, thanks, babe,” Jack added. 

Seeing as I was sitting in the middle of those two, they both leaned over and kissed me on the cheeks, causing Flynn to start clapping with his hands covered in his mashed banana.

After breakfast, Jack and I washed the dishes by hand while Leni and Flynn watched a movie with Sam and Tim laying on the floor on either side of them. When Jack and I finished washing the dishes, we went and sat on the couch with the kids and the dogs.

Leni was sitting in my lap, leaning against the armrest with Flynn sitting on Leni’s shins, which were resting on Jack’s lap. 

“What’re you watching?” I asked Leni.

“Umm, I think it’s Hotel Transylvania,” she said.

“ _ I’m coming, _ ” something whispered behind me. The voice was high-pitched and echoey. It also sounded like it was...glitching?

I looked behind me and didn’t see anyone. Thinking it could’ve been Jack, I looked at him. “Seán, did you say something?”

He looked over at me with a confused face. “No. Why? What did you hear?” He asked.

I looked down for a second before blinking a couple of times and lightly shaking my head. “Nothing. I didn’t hear anything. Anyway, Leni, shouldn’t you be getting ready for school?” I asked.

She looked down at her watch and attempted to jump up off the couch, only to fall to the ground because Flynn is sitting on her legs. Jack picks up Flynn and Leni dashed to her room to grab her stuff. 

She came running down the stairs with her backpack and jumped on top of me, causing me to moan in pain as she hugged me. 

She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt with a red and black flannel wrapped around her waist and a pair of black combat boots. 

“Bye Dad,” she said in my ear before kissing me on the cheek. She then got up and walked over to Jack as he set Flynn down on the couch beside him. Leni leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Bye Pops.” She let him go and picked up Flynn, hugging him close to her chest. “Bye-bye Flynn. I’ll see you when I get home,” she finished as she set him back down on the couch. She then ran out the door and to the bus stop up the street.

Jack picked up Flynn as him and I stood up.

“I’m gonna head to the gym. I’ll be back in an hour,” I told him. 

“Alright, I’m gonna head to the store with Flynn to get some food,” he responded. We all headed upstairs to change when I heard something. It sounds like a laugh. And it sounded like Jack.

“What’re you laughing at?” I asked him. 

He looked at me and he looked confused. “What do you mean? I wasn’t laughing.” 

I lightly shook my head and wove it off. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just hearing things.”

He rested a hand on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eyes. “Mark, what are you hearing?”

I shook my head again. “Go to the store and I’ll tell you later. I’m gonna hit the gym.” I quickly walked into our room and changed from just wearing a pair of sweatpants to a sleeveless tee and basketball shorts. I exited my room and passed Jack on the way down the stairs. Flynn wasn’t in his arms, so he must’ve put him in his room. Jack had a face of despair and I stopped walking. I turned around and grabbed his wrist, pulling him into a hug. He was shocked for a second before he wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his face into my neck. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude,” I apologized as I let him go and ran my fingers through my hair. 

“It’s ok. You go to the gym and get your  _ swole _ on,” he giggled, “while Flynn and I go shopping.”

I nodded my head and gave him a quick kiss. “Alright, I’ll see ya later. 사랑해. 영원히 그리고 항상 (I love you. Forever and Always).”

Jack smiled and responded, “Grá duit, freisin. Choíche Is go deo. (Love you, too. Forever and always).” 

I leaned forward and gave him one more kiss before heading downstairs to grab my keys. When I felt something rub against my leg, I looked down and found Tim laying right beside me. I kneeled down and ruffled his fur before standing back up and walking to the door. I grabbed my shoes and quickly put them on, then grabbed my keys out of the bowl on the table beside the door and headed to the car. I climbed in and started the car before heading to the gym. 

I parked the car and headed inside. Man, that hour at the gym felt  _ great _ !

I walked into the house and the first thing I heard was Jack shouting. He must’ve been recording. I dropped my keys in the bowl and walked over to the couch, plopping down. I’d take a shower in a minute. I grabbed my phone and looked through my texts. I saw one from Bob and opened the message. 

_ Hey Mark, check this out. This doesn’t look good for you guys. _

Attached was a link. I opened it and it led to an article titled  **_Secret Marriage and Daughter of Seán Mcloughlin and Mark Fischbach._ **

“Oh shit,” I mumbled as I stood up and ran up the stairs two at a time. I walked up to Jack’s door and knocked on it before walking in. He was sitting in his green chair facing me with his headphones sitting on his desk. 

“What’s up?” He asked.

I just handed him my phone and started pacing back and forth, thinking about what this could mean.

“Well, look like we have some explaining to do. At least they don’t know about Flynn. Yet.” He finally looked up from the phone and I stopped pacing. “What’s up with you?” He asked. 

I thought for a second. I wanted to tell him the truth, but I didn’t. I mean, I knew he wouldn’t be mad, but, I mean, what if he was? God, I didn’t want him to hate me, but I knew he’d be even madder if I didn’t tell him, or wait to tell him later. What if-

“Mark?” 

I looked up and saw Jack standing right in front of me with his hand resting on my shoulder. I noticed that my left arm was crossed across my stomach with my right arm resting on top. I also noticed that I was messing with my bottom lip. I dropped my arms to my side and shook my head.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. look, I have to tell you something, so you might wanna sit down.”

He looked confused before grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the room and into ours. He guided me to the bed and we both sat down. 

“What did you want to tell me?” He asked.

I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair for the millionth time today. “Obviously you know, Dark has been nowhere to be seen for the last 14 years.” He nodded and I continued. “Well, the day after I found Leni, he showed up. He told me that I could keep Leni and he wouldn’t touch her if the public found out. Then, the day we started dating, that night we talked while you were asleep. He told me that if any of our fans found out about us or Leni, that he would kill both of you,” I finished with tears in my eyes. 

Jack scooted closer to me and wrapped his arms around me and held me while I cried into his shoulder. I sniffled and took deep shuddering breaths while Jack held me close and ran his fingers through my hair.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” I repeated as I slowly calmed down. 

He pulled me onto his lap and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I held on to him as if he were my lifeline, which I guess he was. 

He pulled back a bit so he could see my face. He gently wiped my tears away with his thumb while I sniffled. He gripped my chin and gave me a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, he wiped away another stray tear. 

“I’m sorry,” I repeated. 

“It’s ok,” he told me in the quietest and gentlest voice I’d heard in a long time. “I’m a little upset that you didn’t tell me, but I understand. I’ll help you through this. You won’t lose either of us.”

I sniffled and wiped my nose quickly. “Do you promise?”

He smiled and held up his pinky. I smiled and linked my pinky with his while he said, “I pinky promise.” 

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. I could feel him smile against the kiss. Jack let go of me and leaned back against the bed with me on top of him. He smirked as he grabbed my head and pressed my lips against his. Let’s just say, things get a little more than heated. 

After our  _ fun _ , Jack fixed himself up, then went back to his recording room to finish his video, though not before complaining that his entire lower half was sore.

Still being tired and a little sore, I chose to stay in bed and record later. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some delicious dinner and a movie, Mark gets a visitor.

I slowly opened my eyes when I felt a dip in the bed. I looked over and saw Jack climbing into bed. He climbed under the covers and rested his head on my chest while wrapping his arms around me. I leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the forehead. He looked up at me and smiled before he snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. 

“Why are you so tired?” I asked him. 

He adjusted himself by scooting closer to me. “I dink Flynn 'ad a nightmare ahr sahmethin because 'e cooehldn't fall asleep last night. 'e finally stahpped cryin arooehnd 1 AM,” he told me, his exhaustion thickening his accent. 

“Why didn’t you wake me? I could’ve helped you.”

“Because you've been oehp 'elpin Leni wit 'ahmewahrk and recahrdin videos late. Ploehs, if you were in soehch deep sleep dat you dedn't 'ear Flynn cryin, den you really needed de sleep,” he explained. 

I sighed and gently kissed him on the forehead. I snuck an arm underneath him and wrapped it around his waist, pulling him closer. “Damn you and your kindness.”

He lightly chuckled before responding, “you’re worse and you know it.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”

I could hear and feel his breath eventually slow down. He was asleep. I took my arm out from under him and took his arm off me. I gave him one last kiss on the lips before climbing out of bed. Sam jumped onto the bed right after I got up and cuddled into Jack’s chest. As I stood up, I almost collapsed to the ground from my legs being sore and asleep. 

Right, we had  _ fun _ earlier. Forgot about that.

After I gained control of my legs, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and headed downstairs. I plopped down on the couch and checked my notifications. There were several texts from a group chat I made consisting of my mom, Jason, Bob, Wade, Tyler, Ethan, Jack, and myself. 

Everyone said that they’d be here Monday. I checked the date and It was around noon on Friday. 

I stood back up and pocketed my phone, deciding to head upstairs to go record today and tomorrow’s videos. But before I did that, I brought Flynn downstairs and made us both a turkey and cheese sandwich. 

The front door slammed shut right as I turned off my computer.

“Dad! Pops! I’m home!” Leni shouted from downstairs. 

I grabbed my phone and checked the time. I pocketed it once again as I read the time was around 4:30. I walked to Flynn’s room to see him standing up in his crib. I smiled and picked him up, then walked downstairs to see Leni sitting on the couch with Tim laying across her lap. I walked over and sat down beside her, setting Flynn on the ground to play with the dog’s chew toys and his own toys scattered around the floor. 

“Hey, Yeon-in. I wanted to let you know that your grandma and a few of your uncles will be coming over on Monday,” I told her. 

“Cool. Where’s Pops?” She asked.

“He’s taking a nap. Apparently, Flynn wouldn’t sleep last night.”

“Oh, yeah. I came downstairs to sleep on the couch after he woke me up,” she said. 

I leaned back on the couch and sighed, “why didn’t anyone wake me up? Flynn falls asleep easily when I sing him a lullaby,” 

“Dad, the latest you stay up on a weeknight is 10:30. Even midnight is a late night for you. But for the last couple of days, you’ve been staying up till one, or even two in the morning, getting Flynn to sleep, recording and editing, and whatever else you’re doing at 1 AM. Last night was the first night that you fell asleep at ten. You needed the sleep,” she explained.

I leaned my head on the back of the couch. “That’s what your Pops said.”

She gently nudged Tim off her, then stood up. She grabbed her backpack then gave me a peck on the forehead. “Well, I have homework to do, so I’ll see you at dinner.” She then headed upstairs with Tim trailing behind her. 

I decided to get up and start dinner. Having no idea what to make, I ended up going with my famous Chicken and Dumplings. Grabbing all the ingredients, I started cooking.

“Seán, Leni, dinner’s ready!” I yelled. I headed to the living room and picked up Flynn, then walked to the island where everyone eats. I set him down in his high chair and walked back to the kitchen. I set out four bowls and forks and I turned around right as the other two came flying down the stairs.

“Is that Chicken and Dumplings I smell?” Leni asked.

I chuckled. “Yup. Grab your bowl and fill up.”

They did exactly that while I filled Flynn’s bowl up with cut-up Chicken and Dumplings. I grabbed a sippy cup for him and filled it up with milk. I gave it to him, then filled up my bowl and cup and sat down with my husband and daughter. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Leni said.

“Thanks, babe,” Jack added. 

“You’re welcome.”

“Leni, how was school?” Jack asked.

“It was good. In history, we learned about The Battle of Yorktown.” 

Jack and I smiled. Leni was in love with the musical Hamilton, so she kinda became an expert in the revolutionary war and some of the important people.

“Ahh, bet you knew more than anybody else there,” Jack egged her on.

“Yeah! Even more than the teacher. She had me come up and talk about the battle and how it won the war. Or, more like how it  _ contributed _ to winning the war.” 

Jack and I chuckled and I kissed her on the forehead. I checked the time on the microwave and saw it was around 7:30.

After dinner, we all sat on the couch and chatted about random things for an hour, then we watched tv for another hour until 9:33.

When I checked the time, I moved Leni and Tim off my lap and stood up. I looked at my family and saw that everyone was passed out. I picked Flynn up outta Jack’s arms and headed upstairs to put him to bed. I set him in his crib and turned on the baby monitor. I pulled his blanket up to his chin and tenderly kissed him on the forehead. I headed back downstairs and picked up Leni. Even though she was 14, I could still pick her up fairly easily. It must be from my #1 DAD ARMS!

Ahem, sorry about that. Let’s continue, shall we? I carried Leni up to her room and sat her down on her bed. I pulled the covers out from under her and covered her, giving her a little kiss on the forehead. I turned around and saw Tim standing in the doorway.

Lately the dogs, Tim especially, had been spending almost all of their time with Leni as if something were gonna happen to her and they wouldn’t have a chance. 

I snapped and pointed to Leni’s bed, causing Tim to stand up and sprint and jump up on Leni’s bed. He curled up in a ball at the foot of her bed and I ruffled his fur before I walked back downstairs. 

I smiled as I saw Jack sprawled out across the couch, passed out cold. I turned off the tv and walked over to the couch. I picked him up bridal style and started heading up the stairs. 

Halfway up, Jack stirred and his eyes slowly opened. Tiredly, he asked, “What’re you doin?”

“I’m bringing you upstairs to bed. You and the kids passed out on the couch watching Toy Story 3.” 

He tiredly moaned, “ you dedn't 'ave to do dat. you cooehld've joehst wahken me oehp.”

“You were exhausted and you need the sleep.”

I reached our room and laid him on top of the covers. I changed from my clothes into a pair of my PJ pants. I turned around and saw Jack crawling under the covers in sweatpants and a tank. I walked over but was halted by a crashing sound resonating from downstairs. 

I looked over and saw a confused and slightly scared Jack. I brought a finger to my lips to told him to be quiet while I walked to the corner of the room and grabbed a baseball bat we kept there for unknown reasons. I quietly walked downstairs, the bat ready to be swung. 

“I knew you’d try to protect him,” a voice behind me said. 

I turned around swinging the bat, but something blocked it. Well, more like someone.

“It’s pitiful, really. A grown man still depending on someone, let alone his husband.”

Dark was standing there, staring at his nails while gripping the bat in his other hand. I let go of the bat and it dropped to the floor as Dark looked up at me. 

Suddenly his hand wrapped around my throat and he lifted me into the air. I choked on the lack of oxygen supply and tried to pry his hand away. 

“Did you forget what would happen if the news got out?” He asked, his voice was dangerously smooth and calm. 

“I-I di-didn’t for-forget,” I choked out. The edges of my vision started to blur, then blacken. “Don’t t-touch them.” 

He leaned in close and whispered, “you can’t stop me.”

My vision blacked out and I fell to the ground.

“ _ I’ll see you around _ ,” was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dark shows up to remind Mark of their deal, he decides to go after Leni. When that fails, he goes after Mark once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to change Jack to Seán, so that's that. There's also a Pov change in the middle of the chapter, but it's pretty obvious who it changes to.

Mark went downstairs awhile ago. I didn’t know what he was doing, but I hoped he was ok.

Sam ran into the room and jumped onto the bed. 

“What do you want Sam?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t answer back. 

He barked and nudged his head toward the door. When I didn’t get up, he hopped off the bed and stood in front of the door, waiting for me. Chica used to do the same thing when she wanted us to go somewhere. I miss her.

I got out of bed and followed him down the stairs. The first thing I saw was Mark collapsed on the floor. I yelled his name as I slid on the ground on my knees over to him. I lifted his head and rested it on my lap. He slowly opened his eyes as I carded my fingers through his hair. I gently ran my fingers across the deep purple bruise forming on his throat.

_ Was that . . . a handprint? _

_ “ _ Babe, what happened?” I asked as I looked in his eyes.

He opened his mouth to try and speak, but winced in pain and closed it again. 

I wrapped my arms around him and stood up, bringing him up with me. I walked him over to the couch and laid him down while I got a glass of water from the kitchen. I walked back into the living room and saw him sitting up. I walked over and sat on the couch beside him, handing him the water which he gratefully took.

“Tell me when you’re ready. If you want, we can talk in the morning,” I told him. 

He shook his head and set the now empty glass on the coffee table in front of us. “No, no, I’m good.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “That-that was Dark.”

“What did he want?” I asked. 

“He wanted to make sure I didn’t forget about our deal. I told him that I didn’t forget and not to touch you guys. Then you came in and he disappeared. You know the rest.” As he finished, he ran his fingers through his hair as he hastily wiped away tears. 

I scooted over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, which caused him to lay his head on my shoulder and bury his face in my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair while he took deep, shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. I looked over at him as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Mark, what could you  _ possibly _ be sorry for?  _ Nothing _ that has happened is your fault.”

He let go of me and sat up, hastily wiping away tears. “But it  _ is _ . It’s my fault that Dark is attacking us. If I could’ve -”

I cut him off by gently kissing him. 

He cupped my cheek before we separated. “What was that for?” He asked.

I smiled and responded, “to shut you up. Don’t forget, I have my own demon. He may not be doing anything now, but you never know when that could change. We thought the same thing with Dark. You have no control over him as I don’t have any control over Anti.”

He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair once more. He leaned forward, rested his head in his hands, and sighed. “But that’s the thing. Anti has always been evil. Dark wasn’t. He used to be so kind. We were  _ so _ close. I don’t know what changed.” He sat up and rested against the couch. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”

I reached forward and grasped one of his hands in mine. “You did nothing wrong. I don’t know why he changed, but he did, and you had nothing to do with that. Maybe something pushed him over the edge. Who knows? He’s connected to you, but he’s  _ not _ you. You said yourself, you’re two completely separate entities. He just happens to live in your head.”

“But it’s because he lives in my head that he has power. He’s a fucking demon for God’s sake!” He yelled as he stood up. He started pacing and his breathing got heavier.

_ Shit, he’s on the verge of a panic attack _ . 

I stood up and slowly made my way over to him.

“He’s way too powerful. We can’t beat him.” He suddenly stopped and his breathing got even heavier. “Oh God, he’s gonna hurt you guys. He’s gonna kill you. He’s gonna take you guys from me. Oh, God.” He wrapped his arms around himself as he fell to his knees. 

I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around him. I pried one of his hands off his arm and rested it against my chest. I took deep breaths and deep exhales. 

His breathing slowly started to match mine and he stopped shaking. He leaned over and rested his head on my chest as he moved his arms so they were resting at his side.

Suddenly, a loud crash followed by a blood-curdling scream echoed through the house. 

Seán and I stood up and darted up the stairs toward Leni’s room where we heard the crash and scream. Leni’s door was locked, so I kicked the handle and it slammed open, hitting the wall.

You see, a couple of weeks after we started dating, I decided to take self-defense classes. I learned to shoot a gun and kick down doors, among other things. 

Anyway, Leni was sitting on the floor in front of her window which across the room from the door. A sliver of moonlight shone through the crack in her curtain and cascaded over her face, allowing me to see the bruise blossoming on her jaw and the gash on her arm. 

Seán and I turned around as Tim trodded into the room. He walked over to Leni and laid down in her lap, probably sensing her fear and discomfort.

I walked over and picked up both Leni and Tim and placed them on the bed. I sat down beside her and she rested her head on my shoulder while Seán sat at the end of the bed with Sam in my lap, who just walked in.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” I asked.

Tears cascaded down her face as she began to talk. “Dad barged into the room and punched me in the face. When I fell, I scratched my arm on the corner of the dresser. He picked me up by my throat and was about to squeeze harder when we could hear your footsteps. He let me go and disappeared, then you guys came in.”

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me. “Baby, you know I would never do that, right? Right?”

She nodded. “I know, but you seem to know who it is. Who tried to kill me? And who tried to kill you?”

I looked at Seán and he nodded. I looked back at Leni and said, “It’s a long story.”

Leni gestured to the window. It was still pitch black outside. “We’ve got all night.”

I sighed. “Well, you remember your uncles, right?”

Leni nodded her head.

“Well, they’re all mostly good. Except for one, but we’re not talking about him. Just like your uncles are our good sides, you also have uncles who’re our bad sides.”

“So that was Uncle Dark who tried to kill me? Why?”

“When you were just a baby, he would try and take over my body, almost posses me, to try to kill you. I would have to be restrained in chains that Uncle Marvin made, he was that strong. After one nearly successful attempt, we came to a deal. He would leave us alone if no one found out about you or your Pops and my marriage,” I explained.

She nodded her head. “I guess people found out. How do we stop him?” She asked.

“We have no idea,” Seán said.

She looked down and ran her fingers through Tim’s soft fur. “Maybe it’d be better if I gave him what he wants. Sure as hell save you two a lot of trouble,” she muttered under her breath.

This really must’ve been bothering her if she was saying that. Nothing got to her. She didn’t even feel this bad when she was bullied for having 2 dads. Granted, those were idiot kids that she could pummel to scare them away. This was a demon we were facing, and we had absolutely no idea how we were gonna face this.

Seán leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, scaring Tim, Sam, and Leni. I could faintly see tears falling. “Leni, please,  _ please _ don’t think that way. Not only would Dark get his way, but we’d lose you, and our hearts can’t take that. I don’t know about your Dad, but I would lose it. And Flynn would be left without his big sister.”

I ran my fingers through my hair before furiously wiping away the tears spilling down my face. Usually, it’s me breaking down, but if Seán was breaking down, then I had to be the strong one. 

“Ok, I won’t. I promise,” she said. seeing as how Seán still hadn’t let go of her, she climbed into his lap, causing the dogs to get up and leave the room, and hugged him back. I smiled at my husband and daughter as they cuddled each other. 

My body jolted as a sharp pain shot through my body.

Leni and Seán quickly noticed and scooted back. I slammed my eyes closed, my body stiff from the pain.

_ No, this can’t be happening. Not now. Go away! _

_ No can do, Markimoo. _

“Leni, go to our room and grab the handcuffs from the nightstand,” Seán calmly instructed. 

My senses were messed up. Seán’s voice sounded like it was right in my ear. I could smell the strawberry shampoo Leni used. I could feel each strand of hair as I ran my fingers through it. Flynn’s cries sounded so far away, yet so close.

Wait, Flynn?

My thoughts were cut short when I felt Seán’s hands on my chest and the back of my head. I hissed as he gently laid me down; his touch burned.

He gently laid me down, resting my head on Leni’s pillows. Pain flared through my stomach, causing me to curl into a ball and roll onto my side. I hugged my knees to my chest as tears flowed down my cheeks. Seán sat beside me and ran his fingers through my hair as he moved it out of my face.

Seán’s touch felt like fire; my tears felt like ice. Why?

Even though he was right next to me, I could only faintly make out him saying, “Just hold on, babe.”

I could faintly hear Leni run into the room, the sound of clanking metal and crying following her.

“Attach those to the footboard and around you dad’s ankles,” Seán instructed, pain lacing his voice. 

I whimpered as a burning touch pried my arms from around my knees and felt something ice-cold wrap around my wrists. I felt the same ice-cold feeling wrap around my ankles. 

The pain in my stomach persisted as an agonizing pain started slowly moving throughout my whole body. I felt a metallic taste in my mouth as I bit my lip so hard to keep from screaming out in pain that it bled.

As I felt the sensation of someone stabbing me, my body arched off the bed as I screamed out in excruciating pain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Mark's possession, Seán takes care of him.

I held Leni close to me as Mark screamed on the bed, his body arching in pain.

Leni hid her face in my chest as Mark fell back to the bed, panting with every inch of his body covered in sweat.

Flynn started crying and I moved to go get him when Leni quickly left the room. 

Mark’s skin lost all color, along with his hair and everything in the room. He stopped moving and all sound in the house silenced.

“You know, there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” Dark said from the bed. His voice was deeper than Mark’s and it echoed around the room. 

I swallowed my fear as I gathered up the courage to speak to the demon possessing my husband. “Maybe, maybe not. But we’ll sure as hell try.” 

Dark yelled as he pulls against the restraints. Thank God for Marvin. 

When Dark first started appearing, we didn’t have any way to stop him. Thankfully he never got to Leni, but I would sometimes end up with bruises covering half my body.

When Mark would come back, he’d realize what Dark did and blame himself, then lock himself in our room for a day or two with no food or water. I’d finally get him out of his episode, but a week later, Dark would come back and I’d have to start all over. 

Eventually, Marvin created handcuffs that could dull both Dark’s strength and power. We used it once before Dark disappeared. For a year or two after that, Mark was very careful around both Leni and me. It took some serious arguing from Chase and Scneep to get him to act normal around us again. 

The sight of his skin flickering between Mark’s tan skin and Dark unsettling gray, blue, and red aura tore me from my thoughts.

“You can’t  _ help _ him. I will break free and kill her no matter what it takes. You can’t stop  _ me _ .”

I could hear Mark’s voice break through the abyss that was Dark’s voice. 

Before I could do anything, Marvin appeared and climbed on top of Dark, his legs stradling Dark’s body. 

“What are you doing?” Dark snarled.

“Getting Mark back,” he responded. He placed his right hand on Dark’s forehead and the other on his abdomen. He started chanting and a green light flowed from his heart, wrapped around both arms, and flowed into Dark.

Dark yelled out in pain as he fought both the handcuffs and Marvin. Eventually, Dark calmed down and stopped moving. The light faded and Marvin crawled off him as his skin regained its normal tan color. The blue and red aura left the room and everything regained its color. His breathing was calm and I could tell he was sleeping. 

“Marvin, what was that?” I asked once I turned to him.

“It’s a spell to dispell darkness. It only works if the dark entity is weak and it unfortunately only temporarily works. You can also do it with some practice, and so can Mark. All hosts can do it, and so can all magic sides.”

I nodded my head. “Thank you, Marvin.”

He smiled and gave one nod before he disappeared.

I turned around and saw Leni holding a sleeping Flynn in her arms. I smiled and put my finger to my lips. 

“Let’s let your dad get some sleep. Come on.” I lead them both out of the room and down the stairs to the living room. We all sat on the couch and Flynn started crying, reaching out to me. I picked him up out of Leni’s arms and held him to my chest, gently bouncing up and down to calm him down. 

Leni curled into a ball and took a couple of deep breaths before she looked at me. “Pops, what just happened to Dad?” She asked. She slowly uncurled and ran a hand through her hair. 

“That was Dark. He was trying to take over. Your dad doesn’t willingly let him out, so Dark has to try and break out on his own, and in doing so, it hurts your dad. We have those handcuffs because it used to happen so much. Not whatever you were first thinking, missy,” I teasingly scolded as she chuckled. Being raised by both Mark and me and having the friends we do, she was bound to have a dirty mind. Just hopefully not as bad as ours. “Anyway, Dark, being a demon, is  _ way _ too strong for us. So, we had Marvin coat all the bedposts in a powder that makes them unbreakable and make a pair of handcuffs that actually diminished his power.” 

“Why doesn’t dad let him out? I mean, I know he’s bad, but what did he do?”

“Well, last time your dad let him out, Dark nearly killed him.”

Leni uncurled her legs and Tim hopped in her lap as I sat down, a sleeping Flynn in my arms. “Will Dad be ok?” She asked.

I scooted closer to her and wrapped the arm that wasn’t holding Flynn around her shoulders, resulting in her leaning her head against my shoulder. “He’ll be ok, baby. He’ll be ok.”

After a minute, I realized Leni hadn’t said anything. I looked down and saw her fast asleep against my shoulder. I slowly stood up and laid her head down on the couch before I headed to put Flynn to bed. 

When I came back downstairs, Leni was still fast asleep. I picked her up and brought her to Mark and my’s room because Mark was sleeping in her bed. I laid her in our bed and climbed under the covers beside her. Leni curled up against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. I gave her a small kiss on the forehead and pulled the blanket up to my chin, quickly falling asleep.

I opened my eyes and saw Leni still fast asleep with both dogs sleeping at the end of the bed. Not wanting to wake her up, I slowly creeped out of bed and left the room, heading for Leni’s room. I peeked my head in to check on Mark when I noticed that he was still restrained to the bed. 

_ Dammit, I forgot to let him go.  _ I quietly left the room and headed back to our room to grab the key from inside the nightstand. I then hurried back to Leni’s room and unlocked Mark from the handcuffs. I set both the handcuffs and the key on Leni’s nightstand. I moved the hair out of his eyes as he quietly moaned in pain. I leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the forehead, then shot up and placed my fingers on my lips.

_ He’s burning up _ . 

I ran downstairs to the kitchen and opened the junk drawer where we kept the thermometer. I grabbed it and ran back upstairs to Leni’s room where Mark was still passed out. I gently opened his mouth and carefully placed it under his tongue. After about a minute, I took it out and checked it.

_ 102.3. Holy shit. _

I set the thermometer on the nightstand and looked back at my sick husband. I cupped his face with my hand and bent down to give him a kiss on the forehead. I stood up and walked to Leni’s bathroom, which used to be the guest bathroom and grabbed one of the hand towels from the closet. I ran it under the faucet and made my way back to Leni’s room, then placed the wet rag on Mark’s forehead and sighed a breath of relief when he lightly smiled. I left the room and headed back to our room where Leni was still asleep.

Leni was in the process of sitting up when I walked.

“Maidin mhaith, grá,” I spoke with a small smile upon my face.

She smiled and said, “English, Pops.”

“You know what I said.”

“I know. I just like messing with you.”

Being the mature 36-year-old I am, I stuck my tongue out at my 15-year-old daughter, which caused her to do the same thing in retaliation. 

“Have you made breakfast yet?” She asked. 

“Not yet. Get your brother and come downstairs, I’ll have it waiting.” I leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the forehead, before turning heel and making my way downstairs. I walked up to the fridge/freezer and grabbed the box of french toast sticks from the freezer. I opened the box and grabbed about a dozen, simultaneously grabbing a plate and setting them down. I separated the sticks onto the plates, four on each, and one at a time, placed them in the microwave to cook. 

As I waited for them to cook, I thought about what had happened the night prior. We hadn’t seen Dark in a long while.  _ Why did he just decide to come back last night? _

The chime of the microwave knocked me out of my stupor. I grabbed the plates and set them all out just as Leni and Flynn came down the stairs. Leni placed Flynn in his highchair, then sat down herself. I placed the syrup down in front of her, then grabbed some pain and fever medicine to bring upstairs to Mark.

“What’s that for?” Leni asked.

“Your dad hasn’t let out any of his sides in a long while, so Dark forcing himself out hurt him a lot,” I answered. She nodded her head and I headed upstairs. I walked into Leni’s room as Mark was stirring. 

He slowly opened his eyes, then slammed them shut once more and rolled on his side, curling into a ball. 

I made my way over to him and kneel down, opening the bottles of medicine and grabbing one from each. Normally, I’d give him two, but I’m giving him two types of medicine, so best to take caution. I set the pills down on the nightstand, then stood up and headed towards Leni’s bathroom. I grabbed a dixie cup from beside her sink and filled it with water. 

I made my way back to the room and handed Mark the pills and the cup. He quickly gulped down the pills, then laid back down and relaxed into the bed, already looking slightly more comfortable. 

Realizing he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, I grabbed the covers out from under him and pulled them up to his chin. He grabbed them and snuggled into them even more. I then opened the chest at the end of Leni’s bed, which held a bunch of extra blankets, and draped one over Mark, closing the lid afterward. I leaned down and gave Mark a quick peck on the lips, then left the room and headed back downstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leni learns more about Seán's sides while Mark seems to get worse.

When I made my way downstairs, I noticed Leni was sitting on the couch, her laptop sitting in her lap while Flynn was on the floor on his stomach, crawling around.

“What’re you doing?” I asked her.

“Calculus,” she responded. “It sucks.” 

“God, that stuff sucked ass back then. It must be worse now” 

She kept doing her homework, then after a minute, she set her computer on the coffee table and paused her music. 

“Pops, why don’t you ever let any of your sides out? I mean, I know you each have your dark side, but don’t you also have many good sides?” 

I thought about it, then smiled. I’d been so focused on raising Leni and Flynn that I hadn’t thought about them in a long time. I realized that I should talk to them.

“I do have good sides. Many. But there’s one that I used to let out a lot more. His name is Chase Brody. When I couldn’t, Chase used to help take care of you. He still does every once in a while. He had his own family.”

“What happened?” She asked. 

Before I could answer, a voice cut me off.

“Anti happened. He made my wife divorce me and take our kids. Then he killed them. One by one. And he wasn’t merciful. He slit my wife’s throat. He shot my son in the stomach. And he drove a knife through my daughter’s heart. He made me watch. Then he disappeared, leaving me with their bodies. I haven’t seen him since.” 

The two of us just sat there, staring at him for a couple of seconds, shocked into silence from his blunt statement.

Leni decided to get up and go sit in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you for taking care of me.” She then kisses his cheek. “I’m sorry about what happened. I love you.”

He looked startled for a second. It was clear that he didn’t remember how to respond to that kind of endearment. Leni used to say it all the time as a kid to him, but he knew that it was because she thought it was him. Having her say it to Chase when she knows it’s him kinda threw him off.

“I love you, too, kiddo.”

Instead of abruptly disappearing like the sides usually do, he did a slow fade away, so Leni could hold on to him for as long as she could, but also so he could disappear without hurting her. 

“Can we see Dad?” Leni asked. 

“Yeah, of course.” 

She made sure all her homework was saved and all that while I picked up Flynn from the floor. He was so oblivious of the conversation that just occurred. 

We made our way upstairs and into Leni’s room where Mark was still relaxing. Or,  _ should _ be relaxing, if he weren’t standing up looking like Death itself.

“Dad!”

I quickly handed Flynn over to Leni as I jumped to catch Mark as his knees gave out. He weighs more than me, so I had to slowly lower myself to the floor and lean him against me.

“Mark, what the  _ hell _ do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to be in bed,  _ resting _ !”

Before he could respond, his skin somehow became even paler and e clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Leni, get the rubbish bin!”

Leni moved Flynn into one arm and grabbed the nearest bin, shoving it under Mark’s head.

As he emptied the contents of his stomach, I rubbed his back, offering some sort of comfort. After minutes of dry heaving and gagging, he finally sighed in relief and leaned back against my chest as I pushed the bin away. 

Leni walked over and took the bin, Flynn noticeably not in her arms, and walked out of the room. 

When I went to help Mark up, I realized that he was passed out. So I adjusted him so I could lift him up and onto the bed. Seeing as he was soaked in sweat, I helped him out of his shirt and threw it into the laundry pile. I grabbed the thermometer on the nightstand and take his temperature.

_ 103.1. It’s too high, I need to get him to the hospital. Now.  _

_ Don't bother, I kan take care oef heim just as Vell Anne you know it  _

I looked up in shock. I hadn’t heard his voice in a while. Looking around the room, I finally spotted him standing in the corner of the room.

“Schneep?”

“Let me look aht heim.” 

I nodded my head and I left the room as Schneep set to work. 

I went into my room and found Leni laying on the bed. 

“Was that Schneep?” She asked when she noticed me. 

“Yeah. Your Dad has gotten a little worse, so he’s taking care of him” I walked over and sat down beside her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. 

“Pops, when will this be over?”

I squeezed her arm and she laid her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know, báire, I don’t know.” I closed my eyes and laid back on the bed, bringing Leni with me. As she got comfortable on my chest, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark's having a hard time with the after-effects of possession. Not only that but Seán has a dream. And those are never good.

I sat up fast, panting and sweating. Trying to calm myself down, I ran my hand through my hair and took slow, deep breaths. 

“Pops, what’s wrong?” A voice in front of me asked. 

I looked up and saw Leni, fully awake and looking at me. She was standing in the open doorway. She walked over and wiped her thumb under my eye. 

“Why are you crying?” She asked. 

Confused, I brushed the heel of my right hand under each of my eyes, only to find it completely soaked with tears. “I-I don’t know.” I looked up and take her hand. “But I’m fine. I promise. Now, did you need something?” 

“Dad’s awake and he wants you.” 

I nodded and let go of her hand, scooting toward the edge to get up. Looking around the room, I realized something was missing. “Where are the dogs?”

She smiled and responded, “you’ll see.”

After quickly stretching my legs, I followed Leni into her room where Mark had been for the past day and a half. 

As Leni opened the door, I smiled at what I saw. 

Mark was shirtless, sitting up against the headboard. Sam was laying at the foot of the bed while Tim was next to Mark, his head in his lap. 

“Hey,” he rasped, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He seemed to be doing better at least. 

I walked up and sat down on the bed beside him, then took one of his hands. “Hey yourself. How do you feel?”

“Like I got hit by a semi. Then attacked by a demon,” he beamed. “In other words, I feel great. Schneep fixed me up. I’m good as new.”

I lightly snickered. “I highly doubt that, but I’ll take your word for it.” I then cupped his cheek and leaned forward, lightly placing a kiss on his forehead. When I leaned back, I noticed a small frown on his face and he was just staring ahead of him at the wall. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and tilted my head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

He abruptly looked up, clearly startled, before quickly running a hand through his hair. “N-nothing. It’s just -” he swiftly stopped. “Nevermind,” he finished.

_ Nevermind?  _ He knows he can tell me anything, why did he stop? Does he think that I would think less of him? 

“Don’t do that. What is it?”

He looked up at me and sighed. “It’s just, Dark  _ really _ did a number on me.” 

“Yeah, he did. But that’s ok. You fought back.”

He covered his face with his hands. “Maybe so, but I only got back because Marvin weakened Dark and kicked him out. Without him, I might’ve hurt you.” He looked up at me, tears starting to brim in his eyes. “I could’ve  _ killed _ you!”

I cupped his cheeks with both hands and gave him a quick peck. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, don’t think like that. We’re fine. Leni, Flynn, and I are fine. We’re ok. Nobody got hurt except you.”

Realizing that there was no way to stop him from crying, I quickly wrapped my arms around him. I soothed him as he cried into the nook of my shoulder. I rocked and shooshed him until he quieted down. 

Eventually, he stopped crying and I let him go. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and rubbing away the fallen tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but someone wanted to say hi after his nap.”

Both Mark and I turned toward the door to see Leni holding Flynn in her arms. 

I smiled and scooted over so Leni could hand Flynn to Mark.

“Hey, there, how’s my little man?”

Seeing Mark smile and Flynn giggle made me grin. After the breakdown he’d just had, it was nice and refreshing to see him happy.

I looked over at Leni when I felt her grab my arm. “Yeah?”

“What was your nightmare about?”

Before I could respond, Mark interrupted.

“Nightmare? You had a nightmare?” 

I flinched at his question. Nightmares and I have never had a good relationship. Usually, whenever I have a nightmare, something terrible follows.

“Umm, yeah. I did.”

“What was it about?” Mark asked, holding Flynn closer to his chest.

I gulped and looked down, rubbing the back of my neck. “Umm, Dark. Hurting one of us. Badly,” I muttered the last word. 

Mark’s eyes widened in fear. 

“What does that mean? Why do you look so scared?” Leni asked. 

“When your Pops has nightmares, they’re usually premonitions,” Mark explains.

“Premonitions?”

“That means they usually come true,” I whispered.

“When was the last time you had one?” She questioned.

“Not in a long time.”

“Why do you think you get them?” Mark asked. 

“What is this, interrogate Seán day?” I lightly smiled, trying to lighten the mood. When I received no response, I sighed. “I think it has something to do with having a magic side.” 

Mark adjusted his grip on Flynn when he yawned. He leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead as he fell asleep.

“We’ll get through this, I know it,” Leni said. 

I gave her a disbelieving smile. 

“I certainly hope so,” Mark mumbled under his breath. 

I looked over at him and set a hand on his shoulder. It was then that I noticed that his eyes were wide. I turned around and realized Leni was gone.

“Leni?” I looked around and noticed a note where she was standing only a minute ago. I walked over and picked it up.

‘ _ You know you can’t get rid of me. She’s mine.’ _

Realizing that my hands were shaking, I dropped the note and held them to my chest. 

“Seán? What did it say?”

Before I could respond, a shrill scream rang through the house. I immediately dashed out of the room. I could hear Mark’s footsteps as I shot down the stairs. The dogs started loudly barking as Mark and I screamed Leni’s name. 

“Seán!” Mark yelled.

I looked over and he pointed up behind me. I turned around and saw Leni floating about fifteen feet in the air. I rushed over as she started to drop and I caught her, her weight and the force of her falling bringing me to a knee. 

“Leni? Leni?!” I pushed the hair out of her eyes as I inspected her. Bruises and small cuts lined her arms. A couple of cuts dotted her face and blood was smeared all over her face and clothes. Sam and Tim licked some of the blood off her and Mark kneeled down in front of me. 

“Leni, can you hear me, baby? Mark begged. 

Sighing in relief at seeing Leni’s chest moving, I picked her up and carried her to her room, gently setting her on the bed. The dogs jumped on the bed while Mark went and fetched a wet cloth from the bathroom. 

Mark had returned to the room by the time I had removed Leni’s blood-soaked shirt. We froze at when we saw the bruises and cuts littering her stomach.

I turned around and saw Mark do the same out of the corner of my eye when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Both Doc and Schneep were there. We got out of their way so they could help our daughter. I leaned back into Mark as he wrapped his arms around me, causing me to turn around and cry into his chest. 

“We’ll get through this. We’ll defeat him.“ 

“You know what I’ve noticed?” A voice asked.

We let go of each other and looked around the room. The voice echoed around, so we couldn’t tell where he was.

“I can’t touch Leni. At least, not with you guys around. Now, I can’t hurt Mark without hurting myself. Seán, however…”

I looked at Mark quickly before I was flung back into the blinds. I heard Mark yell my name before I passed out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark and Anti pay a visit to the Fischbach-Mcloughlin family and Mark loses it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long. This is a rewrite of an old story of mine and I haven't had the motivation to rewrite. I've been wanting to write something for a long while and this just wasn't cutting it.

Seán was out cold before he even hit the ground. 

“Seán!” 

Before I could even move, Dark was between us, lifting Seán into the air by his throat. Seán woke up in the process and started kicking wildly, trying to escape the vice grip holding him.

“Let him go! Do whatever you want to me, but let him go!”

“Mark,” Seán choked out.

Sam, being super protective over Seán, started at Dark. Before he could get there though, I grabbed both his and Tim’s collars and dragged them out of the room. I slammed the door behind them, not wanting them to get caught in the crossfire. I had to block out the sound of their scratches against the door and their whines. They were scared; they didn’t want their masters to get hurt.

As I turned back to look at Dark and Seán, I noticed that Doc and Schneep had their backs against the wall as a man who looked uncannily like Seán teased them with a knife.

“Anti,” I growled.

His glitchy, demented laugh echoed around the room. He then walked over to Leni as lightly dragged his knife over her throat.

When the pieces clicked, I tuned to Dark, a sneer on my face. “You’re gonna make me choose, aren’t you? My daughter or my husband?”

Instead of answering, Dark just raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner, a small smirk on his face. 

“Dark!” 

Looking for the source of the yell, I found it came from Anti, who looked like he was choking. It was then that I remembered that all the sides are connected to their hosts. This means that if Seán is choking and possibly dying, then so is Anti. 

Dark, probably realizing the same thing, immediately dropped Seán. He had been just about to pass out, his eyes rolling to the back of his head and his hands falling from Dark’s hand.

I went to charge Dark, only to run into nothing, almost falling over Seán. Stopping myself before I did, I quickly kneeled on the ground, pulling Seán’s head into my lap. 

“Seán? Seán?! Wake up buddy, come on!” 

Seán started coughing, eventually trying to sit up. I helped him sit up as I rubbed his back. Seeing as the oxygen deprivation drained him, he just laid his head on my shoulder and took deep breaths as he lightly rubbed his neck, which was already starting to bruise.

“Dad? Pops?” We turned to look at Leni, and before she could get too far, Schneep and Doc rushed over and gently pushed her back down.

Smiling knowing that she’s in good hands, I looked back at Seán, only to find him passed out. 

Maneuvering him so I could get both arms under him, I slowly stood up with him in my arms, then walked over to the corner of the room where Leni’s hammock hung. I gently laid him down on it and grabbed a blanket from the chest at the end of Leni’s bed, laying it across him. 

After making sure he wouldn’t fall out of it, I walked over to sit on the edge of Leni’s bed. The two sides went over to check on Seán in the meantime. 

“Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

She lightly shrugged. “I’m ok. Is Pops ok?”

I nodded and rubbed her shoulder. “He’ll be fine. He’s just a little tired.”

There was a knock on the door, then Chase walked in, holding Flynn.

I sighed in relief, realizing that he was safe and neither Dark nor Anti had gotten to him. 

As Chase laid Flynn in Leni’s arms, my mind wandered. 

_ What was Dark  _ really  _ doing here? _

_ What was his plan? _

_ Could we keep him from hurting anyone? _

_ What if he’d hurt someone? _

_ What if he’d controlled me? _

_ What if- _

“-Ark? Mark?!”

I looked up to see Chase was shaking my shoulder. Seeing that everyone was staring at me, I quickly got up and dashed out of the room and down the stairs. Not really taking in my surroundings, I was surprised that I ended up in the living room. My legs were shaking so bad and I had to sit down on the couch. Resting my head in my hands, I took a deep, shuddering breath.

That moment, after letting my thoughts run rampant and getting a moment to myself, that was the moment the dam broke. 

Tears raced down my face. As I tried to calm down, my breath hitched and the tears came faster. Knowing I couldn’t stop myself, I let myself cry.

I cried for the pain Dark was inflicting on my family. I cried for the fact that I couldn’t do anything to help. I cried, letting out all the frustration and pain built up from the past couple of days.

I felt that someone had sat down on the couch. Knowing that it was either Seán or Chase, I didn’t freak out when an arm wrapped around my shoulders and moved me so I was laying on their shoulder. 

Opening my eyes, I could kind of see Tim layin on the ground at my feet; everything was hard to see through the tears blurring my vision.

“You  _ will _ get through this. You know he can’t torture you forever.” 

I nodded my head, not trusting my voice. Chase leaned back and moved me so I was lying across his lap. 

I slowly closed my eyes and passed out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fischbach-Mcloughlin family receives some surprise guests. Some good, some bad.

I slowly opened my eyes, unaware of who or what woke me up. Looking around with bleary eyes, they stopped on the figure standing before me. 

“Leni?”

She smiled and I wiped the sleep from my eyes. All the bruises that had previously dotted her arms were gone and all the cuts were either gone, scarred, or scabbed over.

“Doc and Schneep gave me some meds or something, which speeds up the healing process. At least, that’s what they said.” 

I smiled and laid back down, closing my eyes.

“By the way, we have some guests,” Leni mentioned.

I opened an eye and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

She gestured to something over me, probably behind the couch. “Take a look for yourself.”

By that point, I was really confused.  _ Why would someone be here?  _

I sat up with the intention of looking over the back of the couch. But before I even finished sitting up, a bunch of people popped up, scaring the shit out of me. They scared me so bad that I fell backward off the couch, hitting my head hard on the ground and ending up on my back. I heard Tim scurry out from under me before I landed. He must’ve been lying on the ground next to the couch.

“Dad/Mark!” I heard people yell.

“I’m good,” I groaned. My head was pounding and I groaned in pain again. After some maneuvering, I managed to find myself on my stomach. I slowly pushed my self up as I felt some hands help pull me up. 

“Dad, you ok?” Leni inquired.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My head hurts now.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I turned to look at every one. Only then do I realize all who’s there. 

Tyler, Ethan, Wade, Bob, my mom, and Jason were all lined up behind the couch.

“Guys? What are you doing here?”

“You’re the one who told us to come here,” Jason told me.

“Yeah, on Monday. Tomorrow,” I stated.  _ Seriously, why are they here? _

“Well, none of us have seen you guys in a while, so we decided to come a day early,” Ethan informed.

_ They can’t be here. It’s too dangerous. They can’t, no, they can’t- _

“You’ve had an exhausting weekend, it seems,” Tyler states. 

Blinking and staring off into space, I nodded and turned around, sitting back n the couch. “Yeah…” As the memories of the weekend came back to me, I felt tears start to fall down my face. I rested my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands.

“Mark, honey, are you ok?” I heard my mom ask beside me. I could also feel her arms wrapped around me.

I sniffled, shook my head, and the dam broke. 

“Oh, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

I wanted to answer, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t tell them all the terrible things that had gone on that weekend. I couldn’t put that weight on their shoulders. 

“Leni, where’s Seán?” Jason asked. 

“Upstairs.” 

It was silent for a long while, the only sound was my sobs. 

“Mark?”

I looked up to see Seán kneeling on the ground in front of me. 

“Seán? What are you doing up? You should still be resting.”  _ He shouldn’t be up.  _

“Bob came and got me. He told me you were freaking out.”

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. “I’m fine. You should go back upstairs and rest.” 

“Nu-uh, don’t you pull that bullshit on me. Not after everything that’s happened.”

When I didn’t answer, Seán moved up onto the couch next to me and adjusted me so my head was against his chest.

“Now tell me, what’s wrong?” Seán prodded.

“Y-you almost died. W-we almost  _ lost _ you. I don’t want t-to l-lose you. I can’t.”

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s ok. You can hear my heartbeat. Listen to it.”

Knowing that I needed to calm down, I took a deep breath and focused on the sound of Seán’s heartbeat.

_ He’s alive. He’s ok. You’re not gonna lose him. Dark won’t kill him. _

“Can someone  _ please _ explain what’s going on?“ Wade asked.

I took a deep breath and sat up, wiping my tears. “Yeah, just give us a minute.” I cleared my throat and looked around the room. 

Leni was sitting with Seán (holding a sleeping Flynn) and me on the couch, Mom and Jason were sitting in the two opposite armchairs, Bob, Ethan, and Tyler were sitting at the kitchen island, and Wade was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, under the tv. The dogs were lying on the floor in front of the couch.

As I recounted all the events of the weekend, everyone’s faces ranged from complete and utter horror to despair. Tears covered most of their ashen faces. 

After the story, Mom got up and gave the three of us big hugs. 

“Why didn’t you say anything to anyone? To us?” Jason asked.

“We couldn’t do that to you. You shouldn’t have to deal with our shit. It’s my fault any of this is happening in the first place. Ow!” I yelped as Seán slugged me in the arm.

“It isn’t and you know that for a fact,” he scolded.

I rolled my eyes and looked away.

“Mark, what did you mean that it was your fault?” Bob asked.

I glanced over at Leni and sighed. As much as I didn’t want to tell her, she deserved to know the truth. Especially with what’s been going on.

“Not long after I found Leni and decided to adopt her, Dark showed up and made me strike a deal. I could keep Leni without him hurting her as long as the fans didn’t find out about her. He showed up again a little after Seán and I got together and again after we adopted Flynn.” 

Leni looked at me super surprised when I mentioned her name, and she was shocked after I finished talking. She then got up and went to go to the kitchen, probably to get some water.

I looked around to gauge everyone’s reactions and saw Bob with terrified eyes. It took me a second, but then I remembered why.

“Wait a minute, does that mean..?” His voice shook.

I looked away and nodded my head.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Tyler asked.

Bob answered for me. “I sent him an article a couple of days ago talking about his secret relationship with Seán and the kids.”

“He came after us the next day,” Seán added.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the kitchen. We looked over and found Dark standing behind Leni, Anti’s knife up against her throat. 

The dogs stood up and looked like they were about to pounce, barking loudly.

I moved to run at her, but someone grabbed me from behind.

“Let me go. Let me GO!” I shouted, struggling to get out of their hold.

“Mark, stop it!” Tyler yelled behind me. He must’ve been the one holding me.

A cruel and demented smile made its way onto Dark’s face. “I told you you couldn’t get rid of me. I’m you. Everything I’ve done is on your conscious. Especially this.” 

Before he could slide the knife across Leni’s throat, Seán grabbed her arm and quickly threw her out of the way.

Dark, realizing his leverage was gone, he glared at me. Though, after a second, a macabre and sinister smirk made its way onto his face.

“Well then, guess I’ll just do this.” Before anyone could move, Dark turned the knife onto himself and plunged it into his abdomen.

My breath caught in my throat. Pain radiated from my stomach. Tyler let go of my arms as I started dropping to my knees.

“Mark? What’s wrong?” Seán asked. He sounded confused.

Wrapping both arms around my stomach, I pulled a hand back and found it covered in blood. I looked up at everyone and saw that everyone saw my hand. I coud faintly hear Tim start whining.

“Mark?!” Blood slid past my lips as my vision went blurry and a second later, I felt myself hit the floor as my vision went black.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We deal with the aftermath of Dark's latest appearance.

Everyone crowded around Dad as he fell to the ground. Flynn was now awake, crying his tiny lungs out as if he could feel the pain in the room.    
I went over to the couch and sat down, curled into a ball, and stuffed my head between my knees. Tears made their way down my face. 

“Leni, sweetie, why don’t you go up to your room?” Grandma suggested.

I nodded and uncurled from my ball, then sprinted up the stairs into my room. Before I closed the door, I made sure Tim and Sam, who were following me, made it in. I climbed into bed and curled into a ball under the covers, closing my eyes as more tears returned in my eyes. 

I opened them when I felt a tongue licking my face. Sam was in front of me under the covers as well. I smiled as I felt Tim curl into a ball at the end of the bed. I closed my eyes once more and fell into a dreamless sleep.

I slowly opened my eyes as I felt a wet tongue licking up and down my face. Sam’s face was tight in mine. 

Noticing I was awake, Sam’s tail started wagging and he started barking.

I lightly smiled and ruffled his fur, which caused him to lick my hand. I gently pushed him away and I felt both him and Tim hop off the bed. Looking around the room, I saw Uncle Wade standing in the doorway.

“Have a good nap?”

I nodded my head, wiping the sleep from my eyes. “Yeah. How long was out?”

“About four hours,” he answered.

I nodded, then remembered  _ why _ I had come up here to take a nap. “How’s Dad?”

He lightly smiled. “Your dad’s fine. He’s stable and his room.”

I nodded my head once more and threw the covers off, getting out of bed. As I walked past Uncle Wade, he gave me a pat on the shoulder. I smiled at him and continued on my way to my parents’ bedroom.

I walked in and saw just Dad laying on the left side of the bed. Everyone else must’ve been downstairs. Tim was laying on the end of the bed. Guess he hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

“Hey there, Yeon-in. How are you?”

My eyebrows rose in an incredulous look. “Me? I’m not the one who got  _ stabbed _ !” 

“Ok, first of all, I didn’t get  _ stabbed _ , I just obtained the wound. Second of all, I’m  _ fine _ . See?” He objected. He tried to sit up, but winced in pain and sat back down.

“Fine, huh?” I asked, a small smirk on my face.

He looked at me and fake pouted, “shut up.” He then lightly smiled again and patted the spot on the bed beside him.

I smiled and hopped up. I got under the covers and laid my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around me.

“Night, Dad. I love you,” I whispered.

“Good night, sweetie. Love you, too,” he whispered back.

I yawned and fell back asleep for the night.

I woke to the sound of my alarm clock blaring in my room. I groaned and slowly sat up, kneading the sleep from my eyes. Looking around, I noticed that I was still in Dad and Pop’s room, the latter seemingly missing. I shrugged and threw the covers off me, making sure not to wake Dad still sleeping beside me. I quickly ran to my room and slammed my hand down on the alarm clock, shutting it up.

Hearing dog tags clinking together, I turned around to see Sam running up to me. I smiled and bent down, running my hand through his smooth fur.

I smacked the alarm clock again, seeing as it started blaring once more. Apparently, I hit snooze last time.

_ Why is that going off? _

Then it clicked.

_ Ugh, today’s Monday. _

I changed my clothes into a pair of jean shorts, a black sleeveless tee with low cut sides, my camo ball cap that I wear backward, and my black high tops. I brushed my hair, then went downstairs, Sam following behind me. 

I frowned when I saw Pops passed out on the couch, a blanket draped over him. His face was buried in his pillow.

Everyone else was gone, probably back to their hotel rooms.

I continued to the kitchen where I gave Sam and Tim their food and water, then made some cereal.

As I turned around to head to the counter to eat my breakfast, my breath hitched in my throat at the sight of Dark standing before me.

Though, something seemed off about him. I don’t know what it was, but it was there. 

So, instead of being afraid, I instead sighed.  _ Actually  _ sighed.

He seemed very confused.

“What do you want? I asked, taking a bit of my cereal.

“You dead.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get that. But  _ why _ ?”

Instead of answering, his eyes focused. Almost as if…

That’s when it clicked.  _ Every other time he’d been here, his eyes were glazed over. As if he was being controlled. Told what to do and say. _

Before I could mull it over more, his eyes clouded over once more. 

“None of your business.” 

I nodded my head. “So you don’t even know why you want me dead. Nice. You’re being controlled, Dark. Can’t you see that?”

Suddenly he was in front of me, his hand around my throat. Sam started loudly barking as Dark leaned in close to my ear, whispering, “I will kill anyone and everyone in my way until you are dead.” And just like that, he disappeared.


End file.
